Sale of the contents of the late Max Clendinning and Ralph Adron’s homes in London and Umbria reveal their fascinating creative livesThe curated personal collections of creative people often provide some of the most fascinating and quirky auctions and design sales.
Clendinning, although lesser known than British furniture designers Terence Conran and Robin Day, made his mark on interior design. His slot-together Maxima chairs, inspired by computer lettering, were some of his standout pieces, as were chairs commissioned by the upmarket London department store Liberty’s.
Clendinning and Adron also had a holiday home in the Italian province of Umbria, and both properties were featured in photo shoots in Vogue Living, World of Interiors, the New York Times and the Financial Times over the years. Some of their rooms were also recreated for the retrospective exhibition Max Clendinning: A Life in Design at the Ulster Museum in 2006.According to design journalist Dominic Lutyens, Clendinning and Adron were “key movers and shakers in Swinging Sixties London”.