VP of Christie's presents art at Drexel
Caitlin Gray
Issue date: 2/9/07 Section: News
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Art lovers and descendants of A.J. Drexel gathered Jan. 31 in the A.J. Drexel Picture Gallery to hear a lecture given by the vice president of Christie's Auction, Frances Ingersoll, who discussed some of the highest-grossing collections and pieces of recent history.
Ingersoll, a descendant of A.J. Drexel, began her speech by pointing out her relatives featured in portraits adorning the walls of the room. She pointed to the biggest picture with a smile and said, "That is Paul Penckla Mills, but we just call him Grandpa Mills."
The audience, composed primarily of her family friends and relatives, as well as other adults interested in art, laughed affectionately. There were only a few students present in the crowd of about 40 people.
The lecture featured a presentation of slides and photographs of the art pieces, along with pictures of how they were displayed in their owner's homes. Also, a brief history was provided of each of the three main collections.
The collection of Victor and Sally Ganz was built over a span of 50 years. Ingersoll spoke of how passionate the couple was about getting to know the artist to better understand the work. At one time, this was the largest private collection of Picasso because they were forced to buy an entire 15-piece series to acquire the one painting they wanted. When they resold 11 of the pieces, they made $31 million.
The Loeb Collection was also accumulated over a long period by a couple. When the entire collection went up for auction, it made $92 million.
The last major collection discussed was that of Doris Duke. Although she led a difficult life, Ingersoll explained, she collected exquisite art and developed five different homes all over the country. Her New York house was donated to New York University, and her New Jersey estate, Duke Farms, is currently open for tours. Her collection includes traditional art pieces as well as other fine goods. A Cartier necklace dating to 1908 that Duke received from her mother was sold for $2.3 million, and her wine collection of 2,000 various champagnes and Burgundies earned $3.7 million. When Duke died at the age of 93, the $37 million that was raised at auction of her collection was donated to the Doris Duke Charity Foundation.
Ingersoll, a descendant of A.J. Drexel, began her speech by pointing out her relatives featured in portraits adorning the walls of the room. She pointed to the biggest picture with a smile and said, "That is Paul Penckla Mills, but we just call him Grandpa Mills."
The audience, composed primarily of her family friends and relatives, as well as other adults interested in art, laughed affectionately. There were only a few students present in the crowd of about 40 people.
The lecture featured a presentation of slides and photographs of the art pieces, along with pictures of how they were displayed in their owner's homes. Also, a brief history was provided of each of the three main collections.
The collection of Victor and Sally Ganz was built over a span of 50 years. Ingersoll spoke of how passionate the couple was about getting to know the artist to better understand the work. At one time, this was the largest private collection of Picasso because they were forced to buy an entire 15-piece series to acquire the one painting they wanted. When they resold 11 of the pieces, they made $31 million.
The Loeb Collection was also accumulated over a long period by a couple. When the entire collection went up for auction, it made $92 million.
The last major collection discussed was that of Doris Duke. Although she led a difficult life, Ingersoll explained, she collected exquisite art and developed five different homes all over the country. Her New York house was donated to New York University, and her New Jersey estate, Duke Farms, is currently open for tours. Her collection includes traditional art pieces as well as other fine goods. A Cartier necklace dating to 1908 that Duke received from her mother was sold for $2.3 million, and her wine collection of 2,000 various champagnes and Burgundies earned $3.7 million. When Duke died at the age of 93, the $37 million that was raised at auction of her collection was donated to the Doris Duke Charity Foundation.
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