African art connoisseurs are still marveling at the collection that recently shattered world records. A November 2014 sale at Sotheby’s in New York represented the most important assemblage of African art ever auctioned in America, bringing in a staggering $41.6 million and shining the light on a Minnesota man and his singular pursuit of beauty. Myron Kunin, who died in 2013 at age 85, had the personal vision to buy the kind of art he liked, not what was fashionable. With quiet determination, he trained his eye, attending lectures and consulting with dealers when traveling on business to New York. By the end of his life, he had assembled world-class collections in old master, American and especially African art, astounding dealers and curators alike. A modest, self-made man, Kunin transformed his father’s 15 barbershops into the Regis Corporation, the world’s largest empire of hair salons and products. And while beauty was the focus of his company, it was the unique beauty of African and oceanic art that stirred a private obsession.
“Myron Kunin was one of the most passionate, knowledgeable and uncompromising collectors I have ever met,” says Heinrich Schweizer, head of Sotheby’s African and Oceanic Art Department. “He had the rare ability to identify the very best artworks and the courage and unwavering commitment to do whatever it took to acquire them.”
A highlight of the sale was a Senufo female statue, which sold for more than $12 million. Known as a 19th or early 20th century rhythm pounder, it is one of five surviving from the Ivory Coast. Emphasizing the concept of female beauty with its minimalist lines, the figure is considered a masterpiece of world art.
The Senufo statue is the kind of work fueling interest in African art, one of the only genres in which masterpieces are still in the hands of private collectors. Sales are increasing annually, with many new buyers stepping into the ring. Years down the road, connoisseurs will tip their hats to Myron Kunin, the collector who quietly led the way with his determination and singularly personal taste. As Schweizer aptly notes, “He could see beauty where most other people in the world could not.”
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