NEW YORK – This March, Christie’s is pleased to announce Suzie Zuzek: The Artist Behind Lilly Pulitzer, an online sale that will offer a selection of 43 original watercolor paintings from the archive of artist and designer Suzie Zuzek.

Suzie Zuzek was a first-generation, Pratt-educated American contemporary artist. Zuzek was head designer for Key West Hand Print Fabrics, Inc. where Lilly Pulitzer sourced most of her fabrics—and all of her prints—between 1962 and 1985, a period of art history when women artists’ work largely went uncredited. During this time, she created more than 1,500 designs, many of which were used by the Lilly Pulitzer brand. Her designs were showcased in leading fashion publications—including the cover of Vogue—and were worn by iconic women including Jacqueline Kennedy and Wendy Vanderbilt.

Zuzek, who passed away in 2011, has recently received posthumous recognition for her seminal contribution to American art, fashion, and culture. Accolades include a solo exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York and a monograph book published by Rizzoli.

Elizabeth Seigel, Christie’s Head of Private and Iconic Collections, comments, “Suzie Zuzek was a phenomenal and highly productive artist who worked behind the scenes during her lifetime; her contributions to art, fashion, and culture at large truly helped shape the landscape of a generation of American resort wear. We are so thrilled to offer these 43 exquisite watercolors by Zuzek this spring and share her unique and vivid originals to new audiences.”

Becky Smith, an owner of the Suzie Zuzek archive, comments, “We are partnering with Christie’s to continue to bring awareness to Suzie Zuzek — both as an artist’s brand with a heartfelt story and to view her designs in a new way. We want to breathe new life into them, restoring these storied Zuzek paintings into the minds and hearts of the millions who might already recognize them and to future generations who are just learning this fascinating origin story. Our hope is for everyone to know and love Suzie. Zuzek was a true artist, she saw the beauty in everything. We want to celebrate her as a consequential figure in American culture.”