Sure, you might see a sweet Renate Müller stuffed animal, made in the 70's from leather and jute--the East German cashmere!--for sale here and there. Andy Spade's new store has/had a whole pile of them.
But here's a caption you don't see every day: "design by renate müller in 1974
handmade by renate müller for our gallery in 2009."
I'd heard before that Mueller was still making animals to order, but Hamburg Modern, a modernist design dealer in, uh, Hamburg, is the first place I've ever seen the new originals for sale. There's a giant crocodile, a hippo, and a rhino. Purists can relax; they also have a few vintage pieces, too. Some of them, like the 1969/70 hippo, are also early, handmade Mueller originals.
Don't expect them to be cheap, but don't expect them to hurry back with a reply, either. I've been waiting three days for an answer to my email.
"handmade by renate mueller for our gallery in 2009, price on request" [hamburgmodern.de]
Previously:
High-End Auction Therapy, Maybe: Renate Mueller's Therapeutic Toys
Half the pile at Partners & Spade are new ones.
ah. It would've been easier to come right out and say I still haven't made it to Spade & Partner.