NEW YORK, NY.- Christie's announced Defined Space: The Collection of Henry S. McNeil Jr. will headline Spring Marquee Week in New York. The collection was meticulously assembled by storied collector Hank McNeil, coming primarily from the interior of his residence in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood of Philadelphia. Bridging his refined taste with a singular curatorial ability and a nuanced understanding of domestic space, the collection is unequivocally the greatest private collection of Minimalism in existence. Through his developed eye and a lifetime of connoisseurship, Mr. McNeil created both a home and a collection that positioned Minimalism as warm, alluring, colorful, and entirely livable—a departure from how the artistic movement has typically been perceived.
Among the offerings are outstanding works by Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, Carl Andre and Sol Lewitt—including the most coveted Judd stack ever to appear at auction. Offerings will be sold in Christie's evening sales and day sales this May, with subsequent auctions taking place throughout the year. Sales begin with a dedicated single-owner evening sale of 12 exceptional lots taking place before the 21st Century Evening Sale.
Marc Porter, Chairman, Christie's Americas, remarks, “Hank McNeil's approach to collecting was thoroughly singular. He positioned Minimalism in an entirely new context: one not at odds with a domestic space, but wholly in harmony. In merging man-made materials with organic, natural forms and infusing each space with a sense of delight and discovery, McNeil was able to unearth a rare warmth within Minimalist practice, bringing the movement out of its typical, cold academic setting into one of immediate, revelatory appeal.”
Johanna Flaum, Christie's Vice Chairman of 20th and 21st Century Art, remarks, “The collection of Hank McNeil reconsiders and redefines notions of Minimalism, breaking from the typified tradition of Minimalist artwork presented in a sterile white cube. Conversely, it is a collective juxtaposition of rich colors, organic forms and materiality—fully realizing a unique livability of the artistic movement, evoking its rarely felt and often unsung natural beauty and allure. With best-in-class examples of Judd, Flavin, Lewitt, and Andre alongside exquisite design objects, the collection filled the residence with an aura of warmth and light. We are delighted to showcase the collection this May in our storied Rockefeller Center galleries alongside The Collection of Agnes Gund, another visionary American collector.”
The top lot of the collection is a Donald Judd stack in a coveted copper, a work that anchored the living room, standing as a backbone of the residence. Dating from the late 1960s, this Judd stack is among the best examples from the Minimalist icon's most prized series to ever come to market, and with an estimate of $10 – 15 million, is poised to be among the top prices for the artist. A second Judd sculpture is another collection highlight—a horizontal contemplation of positive and negative space in a brilliant gold hue. The collection also features multiple works by Sol Lewitt, including a painted wood hanging structure and two exemplary wall drawings, and Dan Flavin's first-ever neon sculpture—which he dedicated to Brancusi. The Minimalist masterpieces filling the five-story house were complemented with an unmatched selection of design objects, including pieces by world-class contemporary designer George Nakashima. Multifaceted in nature, the collection in the home is a successful culmination of the mechanical and the organic, balancing precision and formal structure with calm, warmth and delight.
Born in Pennsylvania in 1943, Henry S. McNeil Jr. developed a deeply specific aesthetic ability that touched every aspect of his life. He was a prolific art collector and a champion of creativity and human ingenuity, developing personal relationships with many of the artists he collected. Deeply generous, he supported artists at all stages of their creative pursuit. He donated important artworks from his collection to a number of world-class institutions and along with his friend Marion "Kippy" Stroud, he co-directed the Acadia Summer Arts Program (often referred to as Kamp Kippy), a monthslong residency in Maine for artists and curator working in various fields to gather, fostering collaboration, innovation, and creativity across practices.
Paramount among Mr. McNeil's many meaningful contributions was the creation of Winslow Farms Conservancy. In 1993, Mr. McNeil purchased the 600-square-acre grounds in New Jersey with the intent to train his labrador retrievers for field trials. Combining his deep passion for design, art, environmentalism and architecture, he ultimately transformed the property through an ambitious land reclamation project he took on together with renowned landscape architect Martha Schwartz. Today, Winslow Farms Conservancy is a certified organic farm, a thriving wildlife habitat, and a nationally recognized gathering place for champion retrievers to train and compete.
