PHILADELPHIA, PA.- On June 4, Freeman’s will host 18 Works from the Bachman Collection, a thoughtfully curated group of paintings, sculptures, and works on paper from the Boca Raton Estate of Gilbert and Lee Bachman.

Gilbert Bachman was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1926, and went on to study Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. He joined Dittler Brothers, a printing company, in 1948, and eventually became the Chairman and CEO before selling the company in 1983. Lee Gilner was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1929, where she attended Girls’ High School before enrolling in the University of Tennessee. The couple married in 1950, and spent much of their lives in Atlanta, before moving to Florida after their children were grown. The Bachmans eventually compiled a collection of modern art that included major works by Hans Hofmann, Louise Nevelson, Willem de Kooning, and Fernando Botero. The couple were also active in several nonprofits, including the Atlanta Humane Society, The Anti-Defamation League Atlanta Chapter, and The Atlanta Jewish Federation.

Highlights from ‘18 Works’ include “Cinquecento” (estimate: $300,000-500,000), a large canvas by American abstract expressionist Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011). A prolific painter, Frankenthaler attended Bennington College and after studied painting at the Art Students League and also with Hans Hofmann. Hofmann had relocated to the U.S. in the early 1930s due to the increasing political violence in Germany. Hofmann is represented in the Bachman Collection with three works: “Phantasie in Red” (estimate: $20,000-30,000), “Cataclysm (Homage to Howard Putzel)” (estimate: $150,000-250,000) and “Composition #43” (estimate: $150,000-250,000). The latter was previously in the collection of Clement Greenberg, the influential essayist and art critic who championed abstract expressionism from its earliest days.

The auction will also feature two black painted wood sculptures by Louise Nevelson (1899-1988), another student of Hofmann, namely “Dream House Wall II” (estimate: $250,000-400,000), comprised of eight separate painted wood components, and “Cascades – Perpendiculars XII” (estimate: $50,000-80,000). Nevelson is considered one of the leading figures in American sculpture of the 20th century.

A bronze by abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning, “Head #3” (estimate: $250,000-400,000) is another standout in the Collection. Executed in 1973, the bronze sculpture stands more than a foot and a half high, and is a wonderful example from the artist’s brief, but much-celebrated, foray into sculpture. Another sculpture, “Dog,” (estimate: $120,000-180,000), by Colombian artist Fernando Botero (b. 1932), was executed in 1981. A recipient of several international awards, Botero portrays his subjects in exaggerated, rotund form. Also of note are two sculptures by George Segal. Best known for his life-size plaster figures, Segal’s “Woman in White Wicker Rocker” (estimate: $100,000-150,000) and “Nude Torso” (estimate: $2,000-3,000) will be offered in the sale.

After 67 years of marriage, Mrs. Bachman passed away in December of 2017, and Mr. Bachman died just three months later, in March of 2018. They are survived by their five children, 13 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren. Works from the Bachman Collection will be on view beginning May 30.