Helena Rubinstein collection

THE HELENA RUBINSTEIN COLLECTION SALE AT PARKBERNET IN NEW YORK CITY – INCLUDES THE LANDMARK
1966 SALE AND ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE DEDICATED TO
AFRICAN AND OCEANIC ART AS WELL AS THE 1965 SALE OF
HER JEWELRY COLLECTION
The set of catalogues for Parke-Bernet’s 1965 & 1966
sales of the Helena Rubinstein collection, featuring the
first major catalogue dedicated solely to African and
Oceanic art. Helena Rubinstein (1870-1965) was a
pioneering cosmetics magnate and founder of Helena
Rubinstein Inc. (now part of L’Oreal). Rubinstein was
born in Poland but achieved her first success in the
field of skincare after immigrating to Australia in
1902. She soon expanded from a small-time dealer of
homemade skin creams to a shop in Melbourne, and
then eventually throughout Europe and the United
States, working actively in the business throughout her
entire life. Through her second husband, she acquired
the title Princess Gourielli. Rubinstein made millions
in the beauty business and poured much of it into a
vast art collection.
That collection was sold at Parke-Bernet Galleries in
New York on April 20-29 & October 15, 1966, the
year following her death. A six-volume catalogue
was produced for the sale and included modern art,
decorative arts, antiquities, and diverse art objects.
While her entire collection was quite impressive, it
was the two hundred and fifty-page catalogue of
African and Oceanic works that made the sale so
significant. Rubenstein was among the first collectors
to have significant holdings in African art, and her
collection still holds a legendary status. At the time
of her Parke-Bernet sale, it was practically unheard
of to dedicate a separate day and catalogue – with
some color images, no less – to the then-fledgling
collecting category. Sotheby’s, the descendant of
Parke-Bernet, claims to have “pioneered sales in this
category [African and Oceanic]” with the Rubinstein
sale.1 Prominent African art collector Ernst Anspach
attributed the later popularity of African art
collecting to the Rubinstein sale.
“The boom in African art can be dated to 1966 when Parke-Bernet in New York
sold the collections of cosmetics queen Helena Rubinstein in a wildly successful
series of sales. Rubinstein's collections were assembled by first-rate students of
Sudanic cultures, such as F.H. Lem and venerable French and Belgian dealers,
and buying at the Rubinstein sales was practically fool-proof. One couldn't
underpay, one couldn't overpay, one couldn't buy a fake or an object without a
pedigree. The only thing one could do wrong was not to buy at all. For the first
time, African wooden sculpture realized prices in the five figures.”2
Her jewelry collection was sold at Parke-Bernet Galleries on October 12, 1965,
accompanied by a separate catalogue.
Recently, a sampling of this landmark collection has been reunited by the Jewish
Museum in New York City for the Helena Rubinstein: Beauty is Power exhibition
(October 2014 through March 2015).
$1,000.00
Seven Volumes:
1. #2367. Park-Bernet Galleries. New York. Precious-Stone Jewels from the Unique
Collection of the Late Helena Rubinstein. Softbound, 187 lots, 48 pages,
illustrated. Hand annotated with prices and buyers' names.
2. #2428. Parke-Bernet Galleries. New York. Modern Paintings and Sculptures,
Part One. April 20, 1966. Softbound, 75 lots, 140 pages, illustrated. Includes
works by Brancusi, Chagall, Degas, de Kooning, Renoir, Matisse, and Picasso,
among others.
3. 2429. Parke-Bernet Galleries. New York. African and Oceanic Art, Parts One
and Two. April 21 & 29, 1966. Softbound, 261 lots, 250 pages, illustrated.
Includes works from the Dan, Baule, Bambara, Senufo, Agni, Bakota, Fang,
among others.
4. #2430. Parke-Bernet Galleries. New York. French Furniture & Decorations,
Russian Icons, Other Paintings. April 22-23, 1966. Softbound, 503 lots
(numbered 76-579), 121 pages, illustrated. Contents include glass, porcelain,
silver, Chinese art, antiquities, furniture, decorative paintings, Russian icons and
art objects, and rugs.
5. #2431. Parke-Bernet Galleries. New York. Modern Paintings and Sculpture, Part
Two. April 27, 1966. Softbound, 122 lots (numbered 580-702), 99 pages,
illustrated. Artists include Andre Derain, Raoul Duffy, and Pablo Picasso, among
others.
6. #2432. Parke-Bernet Galleries. New York. Modern Drawings and Prints. April
28, 1966. Softbound, 117 lots (numbered 703-820), 97 pages, illustrated. Artists
include Paul Cesar Helleu, Fernand Leger, Amedeo Modigliani, and Andre
Dunoyer de Segonzac, among others.
7. #2460. Parke-Bernet Galleries. New York. African and Oceanic Art, Part Three.
October 15, 1966. Softbound, illustrated.
NOTES:
1. Sotheby’s. “Contact & Overview”. African & Oceanic Art.
http://www.sothebys.com/en/departments/african-oceanic-art.html
2. Ernst Anspach interview. Rand African Art.
http://www.randafricanart.com/Ernst_Anspach_interview.html