NEW YORK – This May, Christie’s is honored to present highlights from Enduring Threads: The Collection of Jacques and Emy Cohenca. Work from the collection will be sold in the 20th Century Evening Sale, the Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale and the Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale during the Spring Marquee Week. The group that will be sold this May comprises 12 works by iconic artists, including phenomenal examples by Georg Baselitz, Gerhard Richter, Joan Mitchell, Lee Krasner, and Louise Bourgeois, all of which will highlight the 20th Century Evening Sale.

The group is led by Spoleto (estimate: $8,000,000 – 12,000,000), a painting by Gerhard Richter that was acquired by Emy Cohenca in 1985, the year it was painted. Additional highlights include Joan Mitchell’s Hours ($3,000,000 – 5,000,000), a 1989 canvas Emy Cohenca also acquired the year of its creation, and Siblings by Lee Krasner ($5,000,000 – 7,000,000) a fantastic painting comprised of the artistic language that emerged from the artist following the death of her husband. Together, the collection is expected to total in excess of $22,000,000 .

The Cohencas’ collection is indicative of their enduring passion for the arts and reflective of the rich and varied cultural influences they each experienced throughout their lifetimes. Emy was born in South America to a Syrian father and an Italian-raised, Syrian mother and grew up in Cairo during the era of British Colonial rule. As a member of a Jewish family growing up in Egypt, she described the city as a “tossed salad” of origins and ethnicities. It was in Egypt where she met her future husband Jacques Cohenca. Born in Alexandria and educated at Italian, Jesuit, and French schools, he had a similarly cosmopolitan upbringing. The couple married in 1951 and relocated to New York where Jacques would go on to found a successful industrial importing company. Together, they built a singular collection of paintings, sculpture, and works on paper that span time, medium, and geography. With exemplary works by pioneering female artists including Louise Bourgeois, Joan Mitchell and Lee Krasner—all acquired at a time when they were often overlooked—this collection is a true testament to the couple’s prescient connoisseurship.

Barrett White, Deputy Chairman, Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art, Christie’s Americas, remarks, “Spanning centuries and continents, this collection is testament to Jacques and Emy Cohenca and their erudite taste. Unmatched both in its quality and breadth, the works are demonstrative of a clear vision and a sophisticated eye. We are so thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase this exquisite collection this May during our Spring Marquee Week.”