Could Christie's Anne Bass Auction Be the Sale of the Season?
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When people discuss the late art collector, philanthropist, and filmmaker Anne Hendricks Bass, what often comes up is her glamorous mien, but what we should perhaps be talking about instead is Bass's lifetime dedicated to nurturing the arts. Much of what the Indianapolis native—who married and divorced the billionaire Sid Bass—did was in the name of supporting beauty, from the practice of architecture (see her Forth Worth home) to dance, fashion, and beyond. Her art collection, which included spectacular Rothkos, Monets, and a Met-exhibited Degas, perhaps exemplifies this best. On May 12, a dozen of these masterpieces will be sold at Christie’s New York in a sale that is estimated to bring in nearly $250 million.
“Bass pursued beauty from the very beginning,” Bonnie Brennan, President of Christie’s Americas, tells Town & Country. “She was a persistent student of the arts and had an endless well of curiosity and vigor.”
The sale will include a pair of Rothko paintings with an estimate of upwards to $145 million, a trio of Monets priced at $165 million, and a trio of Degas works, including a Petite Danseuse bronze with an individual estimate of up to $30 million.
The collection, though it boasts prominent names and staggering price tags, feels effortlessly strung together. With a closer look, one might notice how the works in Bass’ collection are subtle projections of herself. The Degas pieces are a beacon of her longtime passion and support for the ballet; her love for modernity is exemplified by the Bauhaus Rothkos; perhaps her Midwestern roots are hinted at by the Impressionist forest painting by Monet.
Though it touches on a variety of themes, the collection is bound by a harmonious note: one that sings of subtle refinement, ease, and femininity. “Her feminine touch was particularly unique for her time, when men dominated the scene in the 1980s,” Brennan says. “It gave her a discerning edge and she crafted a dialogue between art and life.”
One should understand this with a bit of context. The placements of the pieces throughout her exquisite Rosario Candela home on Fifth Avenue, with interiors designed by Mark Hampton, feel balanced, not forced. Petite Danseuse welcomes visitors to the apartment, and the Rothkos add warmth and modernity to a gathering room, an epicenter of fond memories.
Viewers will also Notice that the artists she acquired, she acquired in depth. Why? “She had a real rigor for certain artists and her collection is of a very specific focus group," Brennan says. "I think this is just an example of how Bass bought from her own study and interests, rather than someone telling her.”
Perhaps that’s what makes this collection even more impressive. In a world where art collecting can be a matter of flaunting buzzy names, Bass was a seriously private person who did her talking through taste. She was driven by her knowledge that distinguished her from the rest of her art collecting peers. “The collection was never meant for attention,” Brennan says. “It was motivated by her longtime desire to champion beauty through all forms.”
Bass was a supporter of culture on several fronts. In Fort Worth, she had a heavy hand in aiding the Modern Art Museum and is credited with rescuing the Texas Ballet Theatre from bankruptcy after donating $300,000 to the institution. In New York, she sat on several high-profile committees, including the International Council of the Museum of Modern Art and the New York City Ballet.
The collection will tour internationally. It has been to London already and is set to head to Christie’s Hong Kong before arriving in New York, where the full collection will be presented in a staging inspired by the architecture of Bass’s Manhattan home. “Anne imbued all of these personal passions in this collection," Brennan says. "It is almost as if the collection feels like a personal invitation into her world.”
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