Skip to content

James Zemaitis

Senior Vice President & Head of 20th Century Design, Sotheby's

James Zemaitis began his auction career in 1996 at Christie's, where he worked for three years in the 20th Century Design department. Prior to his arrival at Sotheby's in 2003, Mr. Zemaitis organized a series of groundbreaking sales at Phillips, de Pury & Luxembourg, where he was Worldwide Head of 20th-21st Century Design.

From his record-breaking $21.5 million sale total in December 2003 and the landmark sale of the Farnsworth House by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe to the National Trust, to our December 2006 offering of New Life for the Noble Tree: The Dr. Arthur & Evelyn Krosnick Collection of Masterworks by George Nakashima, Sotheby's has raised the market to new heights, commanded extraordinary attention from the press and attracted a host of new collectors.

In the past five years, Mr. Zemaitis has been profiled in The New York Times and The New York Times Magazine, House & Garden, Art & Auction, Wallpaper and Cargo. In May 2006, he was voted "one of the 200 most influential New Yorkers" in New York magazine. Mr. Zemaitis serves on the Boards of The Wolfsonian, Miami Beach, and Manitoga: The Russel Wright Design Center, Garrison, New York.

Mr. Zemaitis received a B.A. in Art History from Oberlin College. He pursued graduate work in American Architectural History at Rutgers University.

How is design changing?

Designers have become much more business-savvy, Zemaitis says.

▸

3 min

—

with

What do you feel when an auction is successful?

It’s an addictive process, Zemaitis says.

▸

2 min

—

with

How do you balance creativity and the bottom line?

You have to learn to say goodbye to pieces you love but that don’t make economic sense, Zemaitis says.

▸

2 min

—

with

How do you assemble a collection for auction?

There’s definitely a populist, get-rich-quick element to acquiring objects, Zemaitis says.

▸

3 min

—

with

What makes a great collection?

A great collection is not always about value?

▸

2 min

—

with

What catches your eye?

Zemaitis is attracted to objects that seamlessly incorporate nature.

▸

1 min

—

with

What do you do?

Zemaitis sees himself as a generalist of 20th-century design.

▸

2 min

—

with

Are your collections meant for use or admiration?

Much of what Zemaitis sells is just for display, though he has many clients who use the work for interior design.

▸

2 min

—

with

Who is design for?

How much is a Post-It note worth if it’s displayed at MOMA?

▸

2 min

—

with

Do people appreciate good design in their daily lives?

Zemaitis sees the beauty in 100-year-old wire insulators.

▸

3 min

—

with

If you can't afford Sotheb’s, where can you find good design?

Design Within Reach is a good start, Zemaitis says.

▸

4 min

—

with

How is scientific innovation changing design?

It’s all about the mutant materials, Zemaitis says.

▸

2 min

—

with

Re: Balancing Function and Beauty

Though today’s designers have to straddle the line, the better ones have a social consciousness, Zemaitis says.

▸

3 min

—

with

What is the relationship between an object and its creator?

A designer’s “mistakes” are become increasingly valuable in the marketplace, Zemaitis says.

▸

3 min

—

with

Does thinking about design as art undermine its function?

No, but not every piece of design should be touched.

▸

1 min

—

with

How does American 20th-century design compare to Europe's?

Europeans are discovering 20th-century American design – and driving up prices.

▸

2 min

—

with

Which city has the best 20th-century design collection?

New York and Paris, without a shadow of a doubt.

▸

2 min

—

with

Who are the most underrated 20th-century designers?

Eero Saarinen, Zemaitis says, is “criminally underrated.”

▸

2 min

—

with

Who are the most sought-after 20th-century designers?

Zemaitis reviews the big-ticket designers of the past century.

▸

2 min

—

with

What drew you to 20th-century design?

Expanding the idea of collecting beyond the one-of-everything mentality.

▸

4 min

—

with

Zemaitis loves Frank Lloyd Wright and other 20th-century American designers.

▸

3 min

—

with

Does design get the respect it deserves?

It gets more, Zemaitis says.

▸

1 min

—

with

When does furniture become art?

When the market says so.

▸

1 min

—

with

Design has always been art, Zemaitis says.

▸

2 min

—

with

What is design?

It depends who’s answering, Zemaitis says.

▸

2 min

—

with

When did collecting art first spark your interest?

From smashed bottle caps to 20th-century design.

▸

6 min

—

with