LONDON & AMSTERDAM.- Christie’s announced that the landmark auction of The Dr Anton C.R. Dreesmann Collection will take place in London and Amsterdam in April 2002.  Spanning four days, comprising five sales in two cities and offering over one thousand three hundred works of art, this is one of the great Dutch collections to come to auction and is estimated to realize in the region of £15 million (€24 million / $20 million).



“Dr Anton C.R. Dreesmann fulfilled a personal quest to find beautiful and rare objects across the whole spectrum of artistic endeavour for more than forty years. This sale commemorates a passionate collector,” said Jop Ubbens, Chairman of Christie’s Amsterdam. “This is a superb collection built on a keen sense of history, insatiable curiosity and an independent spirit, and Christie’s auctions in London and Amsterdam will provide a rare opportunity for international collectors”, said Edward Dolman, CEO of Christie’s International.  “It is extremely rare in recent times to witness the vision of a collector with such a wide ranging enthusiasm and appetite for works of art,” said Noël Annesley, Chairman of Christie’s Fine Art Specialist Group.



Dr Anton C.R. Dreesmann’s reputation as a businessman, entrepreneur and collector extends beyond his fame in Holland.  The sale affords a fascinating opportunity to acquire important works at all levels in terms of variety of objects as well as price range.  The collector’s grandfather, also called Anton, was co-founder of the department stores Vroom and Dreesmann and was himself a modest collector.  Dr Dreesmann’s father, Willem assembled a superb collection that was dispersed in 1960.  Therefore drawing inspiration from the  family tradition of both appreciation and careful acquisition of works of art, Dr Dreesmann’s own approach became an enthusiastic campaign across a wide range of collecting categories.