The art of the one of the first great collectors of Impressionism in Europe will come up at Sotheby’s in New York in November. Christian Otto Zieseniss, pioneering German-American stockbroker and diplomat, assembled his collection in Paris in the early 20th century. His collection descended through the family to the present owner and is estimated to make $11.7-17.2 million. The evening sale on November 6 will offer eight canvases by Gustave Courbet, Camille Pisarro and Alfred Sisley. The day sale on November 7 will offer an additional ten works by Eugene Boudin, Camille Corot, Johan Barthold Jongkind and Stanislas Lepine.
Andrew Strauss, International Specialist in Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art department, said: “Assembled nearly a century ago, the Zieseniss collection represents a veritable time-capsule. With the exception of two works by Courbet and Sisley that were chosen to adorn the French pavilion at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York, none of these paintings has been seen for several generations”.