The Josefowitz Collection
The Sam Josefowitz Collection auction series, showcasing one collector’s lifelong passion and scholarly dedication to capturing a panorama of human achievement, continues in December in London as part of Classic Week.
Graphic Masterpieces by Rembrandt van Rijn - Part III presents the final opportunity to acquire some of the most moving graphic works by Rembrandt, an artist who not only mastered but transformed the medium to express an emotional depth and atmospheric subtlety that is unique to this day. The selection provides a fascinating insight into Rembrandt's experimental approach to printmaking, from the earliest, spontaneous studies of himself and other people to his most famous biblical scenes, and the rarest and most accomplished of all his portraits, Arnout Tholinx, Inspector. The last impression in private hands — and the most brilliant — this work has not appeared at auction for precisely 101 years. One hundred prints will be offered in a live auction on 3 December in London and exhibited at Christie’s New York from 17 to 24 October and at Christie’s Geneva from 7 to 11 November. Visit our King Street Galleries in London from 27 November to 3 December to explore this remarkable collection.
The overall results of the sales of the fabled Sam Josefowitz Collection underscore the global strength of the market for Old Master prints, in particular for Rembrandt’s etchings. The breadth and variety of Sam’s collections — spanning antiquities to post-Impressionist works — reflected his approach to life itself, shaped by a fervent pursuit of knowledge, embracing beauty, history, and cultures from across the globe. Assembled over six decades, his boundless curiosity and unerring eye for quality saw Sam focus on artists and periods that had a transformative impact on the history of art, and the success of the auctions is a fitting tribute to the legacy of this great collector.
The overall results of the sales of the fabled Sam Josefowitz Collection underscore the global strength of the market for Old Master prints, in particular for Rembrandt’s etchings. The breadth and variety of Sam’s collections — spanning antiquities to post-Impressionist works — reflected his approach to life itself, shaped by a fervent pursuit of knowledge, embracing beauty, history, and cultures from across the globe. Assembled over six decades, his boundless curiosity and unerring eye for quality saw Sam focus on artists and periods that had a transformative impact on the history of art, and the success of the auctions is a fitting tribute to the legacy of this great collector.
Viewing
Location
Christie’s London
8 King St., St. James’s
London, SW1Y 6QT
Viewing
27 November 2025
28 November 2025
29 November 2025
30 November 2025
1 December 2025
2 December 2025
3 December 2025
About Sam Josefowitz
Sam Josefowitz was one of the most revered collectors of our time. His vast-ranging collection of discoveries spanning antiquities to post-Impressionist works is defined by a passionate and scholarly approach. Whether entrepreneurial, cultural, academic or personal, Sam Josefowitz’s innate and boundless curiosity was the thread which connected his ventures. For more than 50 years, Josefowitz, who was captivated by the history of humanity, assembled an astonishing array of works of art: from the time of the ancient Romans and Assyrians to the advent of modern printing technologies; from the precision of Rembrandt to the innovation of Gauguin. A scholar and an explorer, Josefowitz was drawn to artists who, too, saw the world as a marvel.
Sam Josefowitz purchased his first painting in 1947, and since then, embarked on a lifelong journey of discovery. In 1949 after visiting an exhibition on Eugène Carrière in Paris, Josefowitz decided to devote his energies to learning all about post-Impressionism. In 1956, Josefowitz first visited Pont-Aven, the small town in Brittany where these artists had worked — a moment that would define his collecting ethos. As his imagination was captured by the works of Pont-Aven artists, Josefowitz’s collection grew and developed a key focus in this artistic movement. On a flight from Paris to Geneva, where Josefowitz met engravings dealer Ira Gale, his interest in Rembrandt engravings began. Scholarship and conversation were to be the throughlines of Josefowitz’s collection and life: he was, above all, a man captivated by stories.
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