Works from the collection of Kenneth and Susan Kaiserman will be offered in our Post-War & Contemporary Art and Impressionist & Modern Art sales on 10–13 May at Christie’s New York
Drawn to each other’s kindness, spirit, and intellectual curiosity, Kenneth and Susan Kaiserman were married for almost fifty years, and a team in all endeavours. Music filled their Philadelphia home — opera and orchestral, classical and avant-garde. Sometimes they would go to the theatre every night of the week.
From Susan, Kenneth learned to adore the ballet; in turn, he shared his lifelong fascination with all things Latin American. Together, they developed an enduring interest in pre-Columbian objects while remaining fascinated with contemporary art and assembling an eclectic collection of powerfully evocative works.
Staying true to their instincts, they did not buy what was in vogue, but instead what they loved. They acquired one of Picasso’s great, valedictory mousquetaires long before they had become fashionable. They were also drawn to de Kooning in his later career — both the roiling, propulsive swaths of colour that energise his work from the 1970s, and the lyrical, undulating arabesques that he turned to in the subsequent decade. These paintings became an integral part of their home; they lived with them in the same way they did their books, family photos and mementoes.
Christie’s is honoured to offer works from the Collection of Kenneth and Susan Kaiserman in our Post-War & Contemporary Art Evening and Day sales on 10 and 11 May and in our Impressionist & Modern Art Evening and Day sales on 12 and 13 May at Christie’s New York.