Samuel Marx Magazine Table, Plotkin-Dresner Residence
Artist/Designer: Samuel Marx (American, 1885-1964); Quigley
Additional Information: Rotating coffee table has eight propeller-like shelves. Provenance: Provenance: Plotkin-Dresner Residence, Highland Park, Illinois. Reference: Ultramodern – Samuel Marx – Architect Designer Art Collector, Liz O-Brien, pg. 126.
The family, of Oshkosh Luggage renown, is known publicly for their charitable works, and personally for their modern views and lifestyle. Oscar Hillel-Plotkin’s granddaughter describes her grandparents’ outlook as “forward-thinking in all things” and engaged Marx to design their home for precisely this reason. She fondly recalls breakfasts in the Ravine Room (as her grandmother called it) with its floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the woods. The family’s charitable impact is recognized through the Oscar Hillel Plotkin Memorial Library of the North Shore Congregation Israel and by personal correspondence donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.Samuel Marx (1885–1964) was a celebrated American architect, interior designer, and furniture maker known for blending modernist principles with timeless sophistication. This rare magazine table, crafted for the esteemed Plotkin-Dresner Residence, exemplifies Marx’s refined aesthetic and meticulous attention to detail. The table’s eight propeller-like shelves and rotating functionality reflect his ability to merge utility with sculptural form. Marx’s work, often compared to the understated luxury of Jean-Michel Frank and the impeccable craftsmanship of Karl Springer, stands as a hallmark of early American modernist design, making this piece a coveted acquisition for collectors of high-end 20th-century furniture.
Marking(s); notes: signed (both top and base)
Country of origin; materials: USA; walnut, glass
Dimensions: 18″h, 45″dia
Condition: very good, lightly refinished, wear consistent with age and light use
Price: $50,000