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VINCENT PETRAGNANI: IN HIS OWN WORDS, A COLLECTOR’S VIEWPOINT

What was your first purchase?

My first purchase upon moving to New York City was the Ludwig Hohlwein PKZ poster now in the auction. I was a freelance illustrator then, and like many illustrators of that period discovering the works of earlier illustrators like Hohlwein, JC Leyendecker, and Coles Phillips. So, to own this original Hohlwein poster was quite thrilling and the beginning of my New York collection. On many occasions, dealers have inquired about my selling this poster, known to me as The Man with the Pink Carnation. I have always relented up to now. My first purchase for the house in Kent, Connecticut, was actually purchased the weekend before seeing the house, and it too is part of the sale. It is the wood and tôle swan chandelier… a direct homage to Sister Parrish and her penchant for American craftsmanship.

What attracted you to shop in England and France? Who were your regular dealers?

Shopping in England and France was the result of voracious reading about the shops and flea markets where my favorite designers like Keith Irvine, Mario Buotta, Valentino, and Hubert Givenchy frequented. I would follow their route and be inspired to find my own treasures.

What is your favorite lot in the sale and why?

My favorite lot in the sale is the Cecil Beaton watercolor of Diana Vreeland. I know of only two Beaton sketches of Mrs. Vreeland to exist. The first, an almost comedic caricature of Diana owned by the Cecil Beaton biographer Hugo Vickers. The second, this most elegant watercolor by Beaton with the phrase “Diana, Why don’t you?” in Beaton’s own script, a rephrasing of her famous column in Harper’s Bazaar.

Are there pieces in the auction that you bought due to a designer’s influence?

Seventy-five percent of the pieces for sale are due to influences of many designers… too numerous to mention. I have paid homage to almost all of the aforementioned designers above. Their influences can be felt and seen throughout the interiors and the collection that is now for sale.

What are your thoughts on Cecil Beaton?

I have never repaired from the theatrical production and movie of My Fair Lady. It was my first introduction to a man of such imagination and exquisite talent which led to my research of his own homes, interiors, and writings. So much of the set designs for My Fair Lady were based on his own interiors. From the opening floral montage in the film to the Edwardian interiors of Henry Higgins’ London flat and his mother’s solarium, I was smitten. His mix of the masculine and feminine, elegance and opulence, simplistic and ornate would affect my thinking and style to this day.

What is your next look?

Wherever I live next will determine my next look. So much of what I collected and the way I decorated the house in Kent was dictated by the house itself. The architecture and the idiosyncrasies of the rooms affect the style, the collections and the designer influences on the interiors.

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