Frank Lloyd Wright
Executive desk from the Price Tower, Bartlesville, OK


USA, 1956
mahogany, brass-plated aluminum, copper
29.5 h x 87 w x 31.5 d in (75 x 221 x 80 cm)

The present lot was Carolyn Price's personal desk.

Desk features six drawers.

Provenance: Price Tower, Bartlesville, OK | Harold Price, Jr. and Carolyn Price, Bartlesville, OK | Gift from the Estate of Carolyn Price, Price Tower Arts Center, Bartlesville, OK | Private Collection

Literature: Frank Lloyd Wright: The Story of the Tower, Price, discusses project

Catalog Note: Frank Lloyd Wright designed many radical buildings that changed the course of architectural history, and the Price Tower in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, one of only three skyscrapers completed by Wright, remains one his greatest masterworks. The organic references in the bold angular geometry and the dialogue of the materials of the Price Tower reinterpret the earlier principles of Wright’s Arts & Crafts structures.

Revolutionary moments in the history of architecture are often credited to artistic partnerships between forward-thinking clients and architects. As the Price family begun to envision a modern corporate headquarters, Harold Price, Sr. first contacted Cliff May, the California based architect of his residence in Bartlesville. The family also reached out to noted modernist architect Bruce Goff, who recommended “if you really wanted the best architect, get Frank Lloyd Wright.” Goff knew the family and their modern spirit would find a kinship in Wright's designs.

As early as 1912, the concept of the skyscrapers emerged in Wright's sketches, and Price Tower gave the architect the opportunity to revisit the Utopian designs begun for the towers at St. Mark's-in-the-Bouwerie in 1927. Completed in 1956, the Price Tower epitomizes Frank Lloyd Wright's deconstructed Prairie aesthetic and the stylized organic elements he championed. The floor plates are rotated on axis to provide the building with strict geometric structure, yet unexpected foundation. In writing about the tower in its planning stages, Wright states, "Its upper floors will command an unbroken view of all directions over eight hundred square miles of prairie and foothills." Not only the sighting, but the richly patinated copper panels that dominate the exterior construction, synthesize the built environment with the natural surroundings.

Designed to "transcend function and be touched with poetic imagination," Price Tower stands as Wright's unique answer to tall building architecture and interior design. The radical rhythmic linear motifs in the paneling and dramatic exterior louvers were further reflected in the bespoke furniture designed for the interior and, in typical Wright fashion, transcend any particular style. They are purely the unique artistic vision of their maker.

This work will ship from Chicago, Illinois.

Fair to good condition. Top exhibits irregular fading, outlining an area where a desk mat likely sat. Front edge of top exhibits notable impressions and wear consistent with age and use. A few small impressions are scattered throughout remaining edges of top. Two drawer fronts each show initial signs of delamination to veneer along side edges. Piping details with assorted marks and small losses to finish. Copper elements have developed an attractive patina with a few small areas of verdigris. Desk would benefit from minor conservation. Please note this work may require the buyer to obtain a CITES permit to export out of the United States. Due to increased scrutiny regarding the issuance of CITES certificates, we cannot guarantee an export permit will be granted.