The sitting area of Albee’s TriBeCa loft, where Sidney Gordin’s August, 1965, was flanked by Michael Loew’s Untitled, 1955, and Frederick Hammersley’s Off the Cuff, 1964.
(left)
Michael Loew, Untitled. Estimate $5,000–7,000.
(centre)
Sidney Gordin, August, 1965. Estimate $25,000–35,000.
(right)
Frederick Hammersley, Off the Cuff. Estimate $8,000–12,000.
Magdalena Abakanowicz’s Koziol, 2003, perches in a corner of the loft.
A 1923 work by Kurt Schwitters (left) is one of two works by the artist in the sale. In Albee’s home, it hung next to works by Ilya Bolotowsky and Walter Dexel.
(left)
Kurt Schwitters, Untitled (Construction with Red Circle and Black Triangle). Estimate $70,000–90,000.
(centre)
Ilya Bolotowsky, White Tondo. Estimate $10,000–15,000.
(right)
Walter Dexel, XIX. Estimate $10,000–15,000.
Milton Avery’s 1960 canvas Meditation (right) and Hammersley’s Off the Cuff.
(left)
Frederick Hammersley, Off the Cuff. Estimate $8,000–12,000.
(right)
Milton Avery, Meditation. Estimate $2,000,000–3,000,000.
Albee filled the space with a range of art and objects, including Modern paintings and African sculptures.
An expansive view inside Albee’s downtown home.
Walter Kuhn’s Helen, 1929, is surrounded by an array of fascinating small-scale works, including Edward Steichen’s Self-Portrait, Milwaukee (far left) and Kishio Suga’s sculpture Untitled, 1985.
(left)
Edward Steichen, Self Portrait, Milwaukee. Estimate $7,000–10,000.
(centre)
Walt Kuhn, Helen. Estimate $100,000–150,000.
(right)
Kishio Suga, Untitled. Estimate $2,000–3,000.
Jean Arp’s Les Deux soeurs, 1927, is a centrepiece of the collection.
John Sennhauser’s 1939 oil on canvas Architectural Painting No. 1- Green Circle.
Jacques Lipchitz’s 1943 Study for Benediction.
Milton Avery’s Meditation, 1960 and Charles Green Shaw’s Conception, 1962, hanging in Edward Albee’s loft in New York’s TriBeCa neighbourhood.
(left)
Milton Avery, Meditation. Estimate $2,000,000–3,000,000.
(right)
Charles Green Shaw, Conception. Estimate $20,000–30,000.
Best known as a celebrated playwright and one of the great literary minds of the past century, Edward Albee was also a dedicated patron of the arts. In addition to establishing the Edward F. Albee Foundation, which provides residencies to artists and writers, he also was an avid collector. Sourced from artists, friends and galleries over several decades, Albee filled his TriBeCa loft with works of art that focused on the evolution of abstraction in the 20th century. From a stunning figural work by Milton Avery to a whimsical relief by Jean Arp, click ahead to discover the highly personal and intellectual collection of Edward Albee.
The Collection of Edward Albee
26 September | New York