F ew collections so powerfully capture a moment in time and place, and history, as The David M. Solinger Collection. Assembled with a deft eye, singular passion and pursuit, The Collection represents the greatest achievements in art in both New York and Europe following the Second World War. From New York artists such as Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, and Adolph Gottlieb, to their French contemporaries Jean Dubuffet, Pierre Soulages, Georges Mathieu, and Nicolas de Staël, The Collection reflects the transatlantic dynamism between the greatest artists of the last century. Offering extraordinary insight into the prolific careers of Dubuffet, Paul Klee, and Fernand Léger, alongside iconic examples by Alberto Giacometti, Alexander Calder, Joan Miró, and Pablo Picasso, the masterworks which comprise The Collection not only trace art history but foretell it.

The Collection also tells the story of David Solinger himself, and his enduring legacy of philanthropy and support for notable institutions inspired by a lifelong passion for art. As a highly successful and pioneering lawyer, his dedication and foresight within the field would lead him to become an expert specializing in the developing worlds of television, advertising and art law, preceding many of his peers. Through his work as a legal representative for leading artists such as Franz Kline, Hans Hofmann and Louise Nevelson, he forged lasting friendships with these artists, and their mutual respect and admiration is keenly felt in his collection which includes examples from each. Later, as a trustee and then President of the Whitney Museum of American Art – the first from outside the founding family – he steered the museum from a small private institution to the internationally acclaimed museum it is today. And as a benefactor, he generously gave significant artworks to the Museum of Modern Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Led by a dedicated Evening Sale of 23 works in New York during our Marquee Week – featuring key masterworks of the collection by de Kooning, Picasso, Giacometti, Léger, Dubuffet, Miró and more – Sotheby’s is honored to present The David M. Solinger Collection across four dynamic sequential auctions this autumn, in New York and Paris.