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THE COLLECTION OF JOAN AND PRESTON ROBERT TISCHIn 1986, at the height of America’s AIDS crisis, Joan Tisch walked into the offices of New York’s Gay Men’s Health Crisis on a mission. “I’m Joan,” she announced, “and I’d like to volunteer.” It was a simple declaration—marked by humility, urgency, and a belief in change—that characterized Tisch’s extraordinary spirit. For decades, she was an integral part of her family’s efforts in philanthropy, and with unflagging zeal and generosity, she helped create a lasting legacy in New York and the wider world.Joan Tisch was born in Manhattan in 1927. While studying English at the University of Michigan, the young Joan met Preston Robert “Bob” Tisch, a fellow student and Brooklyn native. “We literally met hanging out on the steps of the library,” she laughed in later years. The couple married in 1948, and went on to have three children.Across nearly six decades of marriage, Bob and Joan Tisch rose to become two of New York’s most prominent civic and philanthropic leaders. Bob Tisch became a goodwill ambassador for his city: in addition to championing New York in Washington, he lobbied to bring two Democratic National Conventions to Manhattan, and generated support for largescale urban development initiatives such as the Javits Center. A lifelong football fan, Bob Tisch purchased a fifty percent stake in the New York Giants in 1991. Joan Tisch was a remarkably driven woman with an unwavering belief in her family’s ability to affect change. Beyond their significant contributions to institutions such as the University of Michigan and Tufts University, the Tischs’ native New York was a particular focus of their energies. From the Central Park Children’s Zoo to New York University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art (where Joan Tisch served as a trustee and posthumously donated works by Léger, Braque, and Giacometti,) the family provided significant support to organisations benefitting New Yorkers from all walks of life. Today, the Tisch name can be found throughout the city, reflecting a multi-generational ethos of giving.Joan Tisch was a board member of Citymeals-on-Wheels, where Bob Tisch served as founding president, as well as a stalwart patron of the 92nd Street Y, where she co-chaired the Tisch Center for the Arts. The Tisch family made a transformative impact on NYU, providing major gifts across academic disciplines and schools. Their contributions to the university encompassed educational programs and scholarships in the arts and humanities; the acquisition and renovation of the building now known as the Tisch School of the Arts; Tisch Hospital at NYU Langone Medical Center; the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women’s Health and the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Men’s Health; and the NYU Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport.Of Joan Tisch’s many achievements in the public sphere, it is her groundbreaking advocacy during the AIDS crisis and with the Gay Men’s Health Crisis that remains most notable. “Joan Tisch… never said ‘no’ to GMHC,” the organisation’s CEO Kelsey Louie wrote upon her death. “GMHC will never stop saying ‘thank you’ to her.” “You could ask what would New York be without the Tischs,” MoMA trustee Marie-Josée Kravis mused upon awarding the family the museum’s David Rockefeller Award, “and I think a lot of institutions would be different.”

Barry Flanagan, R.A. (1941-2009)

Rugby Sculpture

Details

Barry Flanagan, R.A. (1941-2009)
Rugby Sculpture
signed with monogram, numbered, dated and stamped with foundry mark '4/8/-07 AB LONDON' (on the top of the base)
bronze with a black patina on a bronze base
12 in. (30.5 cm.) high, including the base
Conceived in 2007 and cast in an edition of 8, plus 4 artist's casts.

Provenance

with Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York, where purchased by the present owners in May 2008.

Literature

B. Dawson, exhibition catalogue, Barry Flanagan Sculptures 2001-2008, London, Waddington Galleries, 2008, pp. 65, 72, no. 23, another cast illustrated.

Exhibited

Dublin, Solomon Gallery, Collectibles, October 2007, another cast exhibited, catalogue not traced.
London, Waddington Galleries, Barry Flanagan Sculptures 2001-2008, April - May 2008, no. 23, another cast exhibited.

Special notice

Artist's Resale Right ("Droit de Suite"). Artist's Resale Right Regulations 2006 apply to this lot, the buyer agrees to pay us an amount equal to the resale royalty provided for in those Regulations, and we undertake to the buyer to pay such amount to the artist's collection agent. These lots have been imported from outside the EU for sale using a Temporary Import regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the Hammer price. VAT is also payable (at 20%) on the buyer’s Premium on a VAT inclusive basis. When a buyer of such a lot has registered an EU address but wishes to export the lot or complete the import into another EU country, he must advise Christie's immediately after the auction.

Brought to you by

Pippa Jacomb

pjacomb@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2293

Lot Essay

We are very grateful to Jo Melvin from the Barry Flanagan estate for her assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.

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