What will happen to the collection of Lehman Brothers?
ARTinvestment.RU   21 сентября 2008

The collapse of investment bank Lehman Brothers on Sept. 15 cast the entire world in shock. Among the company's assets include several thousand works of art. Experts in the art market guess what fate awaits all of these works

Collapse of U.S. bank Lehman Brothers, which occurred September 15, shocked the entire world. Lehman Brothers, established in 1850, was one of the largest U.S. investment banks. The bank also owns one of the most famous in the world of corporate art collections. In the collection includes about 3 500 works of contemporary artists. All of these paintings, sculptures, graphic works and installations adorn the offices of Lehman Brothers worldwide. Perhaps, that soon they will work with a hammer.

big auction houses are often like the sale of works from the collections of bankrupt companies. For example, Sotheby's sold the collection of International Business Machines Corp., A Shristie's - a collection of Refco Inc., Companies trade in futures.

In today's boom in contemporary art works from the Lehman Brothers, which includes such stars of the art market as Takashi Murakami (Takashi Murakami), Andreas Gurskii (Andreas Gursky), and Jasper Johns (Jasper Johns) , certainly will find buyers.

In the late 1970's - early 1980's, the acquisition of works for collections Lehman has Oresman Janice (Janice Oresman). She said that the Bank has always sought to have a collection of the best artists. Among the acquisitions Oresman comprised a large sculpture of Louise Nevelson (Louise Nevelson), paintings by Wayne Thiebaud (Wayne Thiebaud), as well as prints Jasper Johns and Frank Stella (Frank Stella).

Head of Lehman Brothers Richard S. tail, Jr. (Richard S. Fuld Jr.) and his wife, Kathy (Kathy Fuld) - Major collectors. They are Top-200 list of major art collectors in the world . Kathy tail is the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the New York Museum of Modern Art (NY MoMA). Representatives of the museum stated that the wife promised to give them a picture Jasper Johns in 2005 and the figure Louise Bourgeois (Louise Bourgeois) «Woman-house», 1947.

Grandson of the founder of Lehman Brothers, Robert Lehman (Robert Lehman) was also a famous collector. Paintings Renoir (Pierre-Auguste Renoir) and Rembrandt (Rembrandt) from his collection now adorn the Robert Lehman wing at New York's Metropolitan Museum.

In addition to his collection, Lehman Brothers has a collection of asset management company Neuberger Berman, which it acquired in 2003. In recent months, Neuberger Berman was one of the few units of Lehman Brothers, to generate income. Among the possible buyers of the company known as Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Hellman & Friedman, Clayton Dubilier & Rice, Bain Capital and CVC Sapital Partners. Those who buy Neuberger Berman, get an excellent collection of modern art, numbering some 900 works.

Roy R. Noyberger (Roy R. Neuberger), founded the company in 1939, is known as an inveterate collector. In 1974, the territory of the State University of New York (SUNY) has been opened Museum of Arts Noybergera, which includes works from its collection, including paintings by Edward Hopper (Edward Hopper) and Frankentaler Helen (Helen Frankenthaler). From 1990 to 1998, the acquisition of art for the corporate collection of Neuberger Berman was a collector Arthur Goldberg (Arthur Goldberg). According to him, the company has devoted his budget, which he disposed of at their discretion. Goldberg bought the work of Marlene Dumas (Marlene Dumas) and the Demiena Hurst (Damien Hirst) long before they became world-famous artists. In 2003-2004, the exhibition of works from the corporate collection of Neuberger Berman. 55 works, including works by Takashi Murakami, Marlene Dumas, Mike Kelly (Mike Kelley), Thomas stratum (Thomas Struth) and other famous artists, visited the four major American museums.

«I hope that [the new owners of Neuberger Berman. - Ed. ] continue to collect the collection, - said Arthur Goldberg. - But, being a pragmatist, I can not help noting that those who acquire [the collection. - Ed. ] Lehman and Neuberger, likely to be viewed as assets rather than as an art ».

Material prepared Yulia Maksimova

Sources: bloomberg.com , artnet.com , artinvestment.ru