NEW YORK, NY.- Christie's announced Points of Light: The Collection of Mickey and Edna Weiss, a collection from the Los Angeles home of an extraordinarily benevolent couple who were twice awarded the President's “Points of Light” award in honor of their efforts to end hunger. Their richly diverse collection spans the 20th century, from paintings with dazzling color and brushwork by Helen Frankenthaler, Maurice de Vlaminck and Raoul Dufy to Modern sculptures by Alexander Calder and Henry Moore that employ movement and negative space to play with light in three-dimensions. The collection will be presented at Christie's New York this November during the Marquee Week with offerings in the 20th Century Evening Sale, the Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale, the Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale and online sales. Christie's exhibition of highlights in Los Angeles from October 14-17 will mark the first time works from the collection have been publicly viewed since they were acquired by the family in the 1980s.

Cyanne Chutkow, Deputy Chairman of Impressionist and Modern Art, remarks, "Mickey and Edna Weiss were deeply beloved members of the Los Angeles community, whose extraordinary philanthropic contributions touched countless lives, most notably through their steadfast commitment to the fight against world hunger. Their generosity extended far beyond food security, however, encompassing meaningful support for music, science, and the Jewish faith.

The collection they assembled is a deeply personal reflection of the compassion, curiosity, and generosity of spirit that defined their lives. They approached collecting with thoughtfulness and discernment, seeking out exceptional examples of the most celebrated artists of their time—often discovering works through friends who shared their passion for great art. Each acquisition reflects not only their remarkable eye, but also the relationships, friendships, and shared enthusiasm that enriched their lives. We are honored to bring this superb collection to market this fall and, through its presentation, to celebrate the remarkable legacy of a truly extraordinary couple.”

The collection's offerings span a range of movements and mediums, with a diverse array of sculptures created by pioneering artists of the modern and contemporary eras at the height of their careers. The 20th Century Evening Sale features a wonderful bronze sculpture by British icon Henry Moore of a mother and child in his highly celebrated semi-abstract style, which is estimated to realize $1.5 - 2.5 million. Other examples from the edition are in the collections of the Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Fukushima; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; and the Henry Moore Foundation. The 20th Century Evening Sale will also include two outstanding works by Alexander Calder: Tres Plat a 1972 hanging mobile estimated to achieve $2 – 3 million, and Performing Seal, a standing mobile executed in 1966 which is estimated to realize $1 – 1.5 million.

Mickey and Edna Weiss were an exceptional couple. They met in Los Angeles and married in 1941. During their 55 years of marriage, the couple raised their family while simultaneously building a strong produce business and an inspiring charitable legacy, committed to the important cause of helping to end hunger in the community. Mickey's foray into the food and beverage space began in his youth, when he and his father sold fruits and vegetables from the back of a truck. With a combination of tenacity and skill, Mickey grew this two-man operation into a major company in the Los Angeles wholesale produce distribution industry, beginning with his tenure of service in the war and spanning over 50 years of service to the city's growing foodservice industry.

In 1987, while walking the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market, he witnessed many companies throwing away unsaleable, but still very much edible, fruits and vegetables on a routine basis. As the Market was located next to a part of the city where there were unhoused and otherwise hungry people, Mickey had a moment of reckoning with the systemic inefficiencies of how food was distributed. It quickly led him to channel the success of his business acumen into a new charitable endeavor. Together with Edna, he pioneered a model for redistribution of unsold, but edible, food products that would go directly to feed families in under-served communities. The concept they created spread nationally as a result, with the creation of over 150 food redistribution centers across the country reclaiming tens of millions of pounds of fresh food to be repurposed as meals for those most in need.

In addition to their enormous impact in providing safe and healthy nourishment for the hungry, Mickey and Edna Weiss championed philanthropic organizations across an array of disciplines, including music, science, and the Jewish faith. They played crucial roles in serving organizations including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles County Music Center, the Medical Center Aids of the City of Hope, the American Youth Symphony, Israel Bonds, United Jewish Fund, Israel Tennis Centers, Weizmann Institute of Science and The Variety Club. As a result of their endless generosity, Mickey and Edna were recognized with major accolades during their lives, including the Variety Club International Humanitarian of the Year Award, the National Conference of Christians and Jews Award—and, were two-time recipients of the President's “Points of Light” award, for which they were welcomed to the White House by sitting Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush for their vision, initiative and leadership in ending world hunger.