The Collection of Arthur Brandt: Dada, Surrealism and Beyond
As a teenager in the 1950s, Arthur Brandt met Marcel Duchamp by chance during a game of chess in Washington Square Park. Brandt, who sported a Dutch meersham pipe, did not know who the man was, but admired his pipe during the course of their game and proposed that they wager their pipes on the outcome. The game was won by Brandt who received the curiously hand-painted pipe from Duchamp.
Left: Lot 248, AFTER MARCEL DUCHAMP: BICYCLE WHEEL SCULPTURE; Right: Lot 241, ALBERT GLEIZES: COMPOSITION AVEC DEUX FIGURES PLANES
Years later Brandt would come to realize whose pipe he owned and some twenty-five years later he would begin collecting art from the Dada and Surrealist periods. His passion for early 20th century European art was tied to his life-long love affair with the city of Paris where he purchased an apartment and frequented the French auction rooms and galleries. Brandt’s intellect and sense of humor lead him to collect works by Duchamp, collages by German-Dadaist Kurt Schwitters, and works by Man Ray, Francis Picabia and Kurt Seligman. In the early 1980s, Brandt met private dealer Timothy Baum who became his advisor, helping guide Brandt’s purchases and nurturing his interest in Dada and Surrealism. As his collection grew, Brandt’s interest expanded to Cubism, Futurism and the Russian avant-garde. He purchased in all mediums, amassing a large group of sculpture and objets, as well as paintings, works on paper and photography. Arthur Brandt was a connoisseur and collector in the European tradition. He was interested and open to “seeing”, and collected with both his mind and his heart.
Left: Lot 237, GEORGE TESSON: TÊTE; Right: Lot 315, XAVIER ESCRIBÀ: SELF PORTRAIT – 27 ANS
Left: Lot 263, GIANNI FRASSATI: UNTITLED; Right: Lot 256, ATTRIBUTED TO LAZARE EL LISSITZKY: SIEG UBER DIE SONNE
Left: Lot 239, 20TH CENTURY SCHOOL: SOUVENIR DE L’ATELIER; Right: Lot 244, JEAN SIGNOVERT: COMPOSITION
Following the successful auction of Brandt’s collection at Sotheby’s, Paris (You can view the Sotheby’s catalogue here) we are pleased to offer a large selection of works from the Collection of Arthur Brandt on December 2, 2017. Highlights include works by Albert Gleizes, Larissa Gousterina, Georges Braque, Jean Hugo, Jean-Michel Lengrand, Jacques Lipshitz, Costantino Nivola, and Georges Tesson.
Left: Lot 233, ATTRIBUTED TO ANTONIO HUBERTI: COFFEE GRINDER; Right: Lot 229, AFTER PABLO PICASSO: TÊTE DE FEMME (FERNANDE)