Maximilian Schell Liked Josef Albers

Christie’s announced today that it would be selling the collection of actor Maximilian Schell. Schell had a nice Dubuffet and Franz Kline but his best works were Homage to the Square paintings by Josef Albers:

Born to parents, who fostered close friendships with contemporary painters, Schell started collecting as a young adult and built an impressive collection including works by Paul Klee, Mark Rothko, Jean Dubuffet and, from the early 1970s onwards, Josef Albers. From the moment Maximilian Schell encountered the work of the former member of the Bauhaus group, then teacher of the Black Mountain College and Yale Josef Albers at the Sidney Janis Gallery in New York, he was captivated by the artist’s experimentation with color. Josef Albers’ commitment to attaining perfection aligned with Maximilian Schell’s own and, introduced by Sidney Janis, they entered a unique friendship that would last until Albers’ death in 1976. Maximilian Schell, who avoided the fashionable in search of timeless masterpieces, which is rare to meet, amassed a collection of unique quality and integrity, which also became the largest private collection of works by Josef Albers formed during the artist’s lifetime.

Christie’s will offer the 45 works from the Maximilian Schell Estate across five sales during November and December 2014 in Amsterdam, London and Paris.