I f you’ve ever been to the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, you’ve witnessed first hand Dr. Armand Hammer’s love for Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. The oil tycoon and philanthropist was a prolific art collector and, in 1968, founded the Armand Hammer Foundation with a broad mission: to fund education, human services, and the arts.

The Hammer Foundation has long been the steward of additional works from Dr. Hammer’s own collection and, this November, will bring many of these works to the Modern Evening and Modern Day Auctions with more to be offered in 2027.

Armand Hammer: The Private Collection

The funds from these sales will directly benefit the foundation’s renewed philanthropic mission. Under the direction of his great-grandson Viktor Hammer, who serves as President of the Board, the Hammer Foundation will focus on the arts in keeping with Dr. Hammer’s belief that great art carries a responsibility to be put to use in service of something larger.

“My great grandfather spent his whole career collecting masterpieces that he wanted the world to see and appreciate,” says the younger Hammer. “His private collection was one of the most traveled private collections.”

One exhibition, Five Centuries of Masterpieces, included 130 works by artists such as Rembrandt and Van Gogh and went on a global tour in 1982, famously stopping in Beijing. This marked one of the first opportunities for Chinese audiences to view paintings and drawings by major European and American artists, many coming to auction this month.

The Modern Evening Sale will feature Mary Cassatt’s Summertime, 1894-1895 (estimate: $7-10 million), and Trois danseuses (Jupes jaunes),1899 by Edgar Degas (estimate: $10-15 million) alongside other extraordinary Impressionist pieces by Pierre-August Renoir and Camille Pissarro.

“We’re passing the torch to the next collector, the next stewards,” Hammer says. “These sales will give us the means to expand our activities and give us more flexibility in how the foundation supports the art world.”

Though it’s early days, Hammer is optimistic about the future. The foundation will, of course, continue to support the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.

“The museum’s Made in LA exhibit, which focuses on underrepresented artists in the community, has always really spoken to me,” Hammer says. “I love that this exhibition enables audiences to discover new artists while heightening their visibility and practices. .”

“The world has caught up with [Dr. Hammer’s] vision and generosity , and I want to continue that and carry it on.”