30/01/2002

The private collection of the widely admired British art critic David Sylvester, who passed away at the age of 76 last June, will be auctioned at Sotheby’s in London on the 26th of February. Modern highlights of the sale include charcoal drawings from Willem de Kooning’s most significant series of work, Women (valued at $ 42,700, € 49,360). Sylvester received the drawings as a personal gift from de Kooning, the two enjoyed a friendship after Sylvester first interviewed the artist in 1960. Other items up for auction include etchings by Picasso and Miró. Sylvester, who is considered by many to be one of the most prominent and influential art critics of the 20th century, is perhaps best known for supporting the career of Francis Bacon. Passionate about modern and contemporary art until his death, Sylvester became Britain’s most visible art critic while working at the Observer and as the author of such books as About Modern Art and Interviews with American Artists. Previews of the sale of his collection will be on view both in Paris and New York prior to the viewing in London on the 20th of February. (Reena Jana)