Freeman's to Present Landmark Single-Owner Fine Art Collection in 2024
Important Works by Renoir, Diebenkorn, Soutine, and Others Resurface in Philadelphia After More Than 40 Years
In Winter 2024, Freeman’s will present What Do You See? The Collection of Sidney Rothberg, offering art lovers the opportunity to collect important 19th- and 20th-century fine art by internationally acclaimed artists. The single-owner sale brings many works to the public for the first time in over four decades and is preceded by highlights exhibitions in Paris, New York, and Philadelphia.
"Sid Rothberg was known for his expert eye and impeccable taste,” says Alasdair Nichol, Freeman’s Chairman and Director of Fine Art. “He was a familiar presence in the auction world over several decades. A lifelong Philadelphian, Sid regularly attended Freeman’s auctions, and we are incredibly honored, after all these years, to present his extraordinary collection.”
“What Do You See?”
Sidney Rothberg (1924–2008), widely known as a “collector’s collector,” gravitated toward bold experimentation in the works he collected. Motivated by a deep passion for art and artists, Rothberg used his collection to provoke, challenge, and question, a distinctive outlook reflected in the sale title. Rothberg was known to ask people for their individual interpretations, and as they stood in front of museum walls, his daughter and granddaughter remember being continually asked, “What do you see?” In honor of Rothberg’s inquisitive spirit, Freeman’s will launch an interactive experience inviting the public to offer their own interpretations of works in the collection.
An International Scope
A longtime Philadelphian, Rothberg also had deep French roots: he first explored his passion for art during his WWII deployment in France, later attending classes at the University of Burgundy in Dijon. Collection highlights will first travel to Paris in October in homage to Rothberg’s French influences; a second highlights exhibition will be held in New York City in early 2024 before the sale is then launched in Philadelphia.
"Sid was as private about his collection as he was proud of it,” says Freeman’s Fine Art specialist Raphaël Chatroux. “To be able to present so many gems in Paris—the city where it all started—is a special occasion. It is also an incredible opportunity for a worldwide audience to rediscover works that were long admired, often sought-after, but also deeply loved by this impressive Francophile Philadelphian.”
A Passion for Experimentation
As a student at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Rothberg was an avid gallery-and museum-goer; he also enrolled as a student at the Barnes Foundation, eventually becoming a guest lecturer there. He had strong connections to the Barnes: his insatiable curiosity about artists and their influences was shaped by his longtime friendship with Barnes curator Violette de Mazia (1896–1986).
Sidney Rothberg’s daughter, Saranne, explains: “My dad was passionate about discovering the one piece which showed how an artist explored a new technique, palette, subject matter, or medium. He would then compare this artistic inflection to other, better known works, and excitedly track down who or what influenced that shift. He could effortlessly explain the context of his collection in relationship to movements, artistic friendships, historical events, scientific discoveries, and economics.”
This penchant for experimentation birthed an extraordinarily diverse collection, one that brings blue-chip names in conversation with underappreciated artists like Alice Baber and Bob Thompson. With highlights ranging from French Impressionism to European Surrealism to 1960s New York avant-garde, Rothberg’s collection reflects his unique approach and confidence in his own taste over market trends.
BROWSE PART I AUCTION
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PICTURED, FROM TOP
Collector Sidney Rothberg (1924-2008) celebrating his December 17 birthday
Chairman and Head of Sale Alasdair Nichol with Richard Diebenkorn's Girl in Tiled Room, 1957