Art connoisseur and icon, Sylvio Perlstein, has passed away.
Sylvio Perlstein's Art Collection: A Legacy of Visionary Curatorship
Sylvio Perlstein, a renowned art collector and patron, passed away on August 6. His collection, a testament to his deep engagement with Dada, Surrealism, and modern art movements, has left an indelible mark on the art world.
Born in Belgium in the 1930s, Perlstein moved to Brazil in 1939 to escape the Nazis. His journey with art began as a teenager when he acquired his first artwork. Later, he joined his family's diamond business in Antwerp, where he eventually took over the diamond-cutting firm.
Perlstein's collection features works by significant 20th-century modern and surrealist artists such as Max Ernst, Man Ray, Dora Maar, René Magritte, Jean Tinguely, and Niki de Saint Phalle. In 2018, Hauser & Wirth exhibited 380 pieces from the Perlstein collection, titled "The Sylvio Perlstein Collection - A Luta Continua." The exhibition showcased Perlstein's "bold, intuitive approach to collecting" and his close ties with artists.
Hauser & Wirth, in a tribute to Perlstein, described him as a "visionary collector" who shaped one of the most important art collections of the past century. The exhibition emphasized Perlstein's role as a collector who shaped these narratives, enabling major curated exhibitions centering on 20th-century modernism, Dada, and surrealist movements.
Perlstein's collection includes early works from artists such as Cy Twombly, Roy Lichtenstein, and Brice Marden from the mid-60s. It also includes an interest in neon light, with works by Bruce Nauman, Mario Merz, Dan Flavin, Joseph Kosuth, Keith Sonnier, Martial Raysse, and Jason Rhoades.
Perlstein's home was a contemporary version of Ali Baba's cave, according to Arthur Lubow. He displayed 100 black-and-white photographs by Man Ray, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Bill Brandt, Walker Evans, Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy on the walls of an oval room in his Paris home.
Perlstein met Man Ray in 1969 and their friendship continued until Man Ray's death in 1976. He acquired several works from Man Ray, including rayographs and iconic images. In the 1970s, Perlstein made trips to New York to cut and polish diamonds for the jeweler Harry Winston and met many artists at Max's Kansas City.
Many of Nauman's works in Perlstein's collection incorporate puns and wordplay. His collection also includes drawings by Douglas Huebler, Mel Bochner, On Kawara, and Agnes Martin. The exhibition included works from Dada and Surrealism, American minimalism and post-minimalism, and Land art.
The New York Times featured an article about "The Sylvio Perlstein Collection - A Luta Continua," highlighting Perlstein's legacy as a collector and the significance of his collection in shaping major exhibitions at Hauser & Wirth. Lubow described a photograph Publicité pour Pétrole Hahn (1935) by Maar as "memorably strange" and in line with Perlstein's devotion to Surrealism.
Perlstein's collection is notable for including lesser-known but influential artists like Marcel Fleiss and André Steiner, expanding its scope within modern and avant-garde art. The collection's influence on Hauser & Wirth exhibitions is evident in how the gallery mounted large-scale shows based on his holdings, emphasizing the breadth and importance of the collection. The exhibition presented a significant historical narrative connecting movements such as Dada to contemporary art practices, enhancing Hauser & Wirth’s curatorial approach and public programming.
In summary, Sylvio Perlstein's art collection, showcased in the 2018 exhibition "The Sylvio Perlstein Collection - A Luta Continua," is notable for including works by significant 20th-century modern and surrealist artists. The collection's influence on Hauser & Wirth exhibitions is evident in how the gallery mounted large-scale shows based on his holdings, emphasizing Perlstein's role as a collector who shaped these narratives. The collection has included lesser-known but influential artists like Marcel Fleiss and André Steiner, expanding its scope within modern and avant-garde art.
