NEW YORK, NY.- Sotheby’s announced that selected works from the famed African Art Collection of Drs. Daniel and Marian Malcolm will be offered in an international two-part sale series in New York and Paris this spring. In almost 50 years of collecting together, the Malcolms carefully assembled a survey of best-of-type examples of the major sculptural styles of Sub-Saharan Africa, which is today known as one of the finest and most well-respected private collections in the field. As a tribute to the universal quality of this collection, Sotheby’s will present the selections in a unique two-part sale series, beginning with 12 lots to be offered on May 7 in New York and followed by another 12 lots of equal caliber to be offered on June 22 in Paris, with each respective selection representing a cross-section true to the exceptional quality and breadth of the whole collection. Overall, the series is expected to fetch in excess of $10 million.

Dr. Marian Malcolm and her late husband Dr. Daniel Malcolm (1929-2015) acquired their first piece of African Art in 1966 and spent the following decades building a collection of outstanding breadth and quality, acquiring works in the American market and also during their travels in Europe. The couple brought a refined and scholarly approach to collecting, drawing on a deep, personal connection to the universal humanity of art as expressed by the sculptors of classical Africa. The Malcolms were extremely generous in their support of museums and academic institutions, frequently loaning works from their collection to many of the most prestigious museum exhibitions of the last several decades including those held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Museum for African Art (formerly the Center for African Art), New York, the National Museum for African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., and contributing to institutional acquisition funds. Their willingness to share their enthusiasm for these artworks with the general public has contributed greatly to the wider public perception of African Art. Most recently, several works from their collection were included in the critically-acclaimed exhibition Kongo: Power and Majesty, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Jean Fritts, International Chairman, African & Oceanic Art at Sotheby’s commented: “The collection of Daniel and Marian Malcolm represents a lifetime of true connoisseurship in the finest tradition of our field. They assembled a wide collection of the highest quality as they shared the wonder of African Art with the frequent visitors to their home from both America and abroad, as well as the thousands who saw pieces from the collection in the many museum exhibitions to which they contributed. We are delighted and honored to present these two sales to collectors around the world.”