Contemporary Works from Three Important Collections

The selection of works from the Jacques Elbaz Collection, reflect the vision and commitment of a passionate connoisseur who started collecting art in the late 1960s and became, 30 years later, one of the most prominent gallerists in Paris. Sotheby’s is honored to have had the privilege to sell works from this important collection during its December sales. The artists and quality of works presented here form a coherent conclusion to the dispersion of such an important collection.

Jacques Elbaz discovered historic Western art over the course of several journeys through Europe in the late 1960s. He decided to fully dedicate himself to modern and contemporary art in 1970, keeping in mind that the art of his time needed historical perspective to make full sense. This is probably why his discovery, in 1973, of the exceptional work of Sam Szafran, whose virtuosity resembled that of past great masters, was a real revelation. After this heartfelt encounter with the man and his work, many more followed with Szafran’s close friends like Mason, Giacometti, Cartier-Bresson and Cieslewicz, as well as with Jean-Pierre Pincemin and Jean-Baptiste Sécheret, to whom he dedicated outstanding exhibitions. His wife Irene Elbaz has been the privileged witness and actress of an adventure Sotheby’s is particularly proud to honor today.

This curated selection of works, mostly by André Lanskoy, comes from a collection started in Paris at the beginning of the 1960’s. At first an amateur fascinated with la Nouvelle Ecole de Paris, he scoured the sale rooms and famous art galleries of the 8th arrondissement, searching for works signed by Mathieu, Poliakoff and of course, Lanskoy. Overtime, and as the collection grew, he befriended Lanskoy himself. From then on, he acquired directly from him a series of gouaches and canvases, a majority of which are presented at auction for the very first time.

This palette of unseen works is the material display of the immense admiration this young collector vowed to the Russian artist throughout his life. These paintings, whose rich composition clearly sets them apart, are symbolic of Lanskoy’s dexterity in terms of abstraction and are a testament to the influence of his past on his later work. In fact, addressing Nicolas de Stael who also shares his Russian heritage, he points out: “You see, you and me, we are brothers. We carry from Russia barbaric blood in our veins. It is our duty to spill it on the canvas! […] Painting is a battle… A brush stroke on a canvas looks to find its space and fights against the other shapes already on the same canvas. The culmination of this battle is the birth of the painting.”

The Francès have decided today to part from, or rather “free”, some works from their collection. Each piece has belonged to them in a very intimate and special way, which makes the dispersion of the collection all the more special and important. It will allow them, and their artworks, to move forward after having visited various exhibitions, travelling to different venues all the while sparking meaningful conversations.

“We did not decide to put together a collection. It invited itself into our lives, like a child or an unexpected friendship would, or even like love at first sight.”[…] We do not believe a collection takes works away from the public eye. To collect is not to confiscate from. To collect is to support a living artist and to make his works alive to the eyes of a multitude of publics, whether they be seasoned collectors or amateurs...It would be misleading to think these works would ever leave us completely. They will, in fact, be physically far from us, but they will always remain with us. The renewed affection they will receive will not decrease ours, but rather it will make it even greater.”

Past Auction

Contemporary Art Online ǀ Paris

2–16 Dezember 2019 | 3:00 PM MEZ | Paris