NEW YORK, NY.- Sotheby’s will offer jewelry, fine art and furniture from the collection of beloved philanthropist and collector, Marjorie S. Fisher – across a series of sales beginning this fall in New York. Amassed over 50 years and comprising over 1,000 individual lots, Mrs. Fisher’s collection is remarkable for both its quality and expansiveness, crossing countless categories and seamlessly blending the traditional with the contemporary.

MARJORIE S. FISHER
Born 5 November 1923 in Louisville, Kentucky, Marjorie Faith Switow showed an early appreciation for the arts, undoubtedly encouraged by her family, who were in the theater business. Following graduation from the Marjorie Webster Junior College, where she majored in art, Mrs. Fisher moved from Louisville to Detroit in 1953 where she met industrialist and philanthropist Max M. Fisher (1908-2005); they were married later that year beginning a love affair that lasted for over 50 years.

As their beloved Motor City underwent changing economic tides, the Fishers graciously gave their time, money and leadership to the city. Together with Henry Ford II and Alfred A. Taubman, Fisher developed the Renaissance Center, a complex of skyscrapers which remain an iconic part of the Detroit skyline today. When Taubman became Chairman of Sotheby’s in 1983 he appointed Mr. Fisher as Vice Chair to the Board of Directors.

Their commitment to Detroit, and the arts, was reinforced with the 1955 creation of Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation, whose current purpose is to ‘enrich humanity by strengthening and empowering children and families in need.’ After Mr. Fisher passed in 2005, Mrs. Fisher continued to lead the Foundation committing more than $70 million in the form of grants spanning three continents, with primary focus given to Jewish identity, Detroit, education, the arts and HIV/AIDS.

Mrs. Fisher’s commitment to helping others and being a leader within the community is widely seen in both Palm Beach and Detroit. In Palm Beach, Mrs. Fisher funded the construction of two new clubhouses for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County, one named ‘The Max,’ the other ‘The Marge.’ In Detroit, Mrs. Fisher’s lifelong support of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra led to the re-naming of the building in 2015 as The Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center. She also remained committed to the Detroit Zoo, The Detroit Institute of Art and the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan. In addition to these outstanding causes, Mrs. Fisher provided funding for more than 150 jobs each summer for teens in the Brightmoor neighborhood of Detroit in order to teach them long term employment skills while providing critical support for their families. Amongst her many efforts in Palm Beach, she focused on the Town of Palm Beach United Way, Palm Beach County Food Bank and the Palm Beach County Health Department, where she founded a mobile dentistry program that reached tens of thousands of children with preventive services.

MAGNIFICENT JEWELS & FINE JEWELS
8 & 9 December 2016
Mrs. Fisher’s eclectic and discerning eye for design and style is epitomized in her encyclopedic collection covering more than 150 years of jewelry history, spanning from a celestial-inspired Silver, Gold and Diamond Tiara (estimate $25/35,000) made circa 1890, to a mid-century Sapphire and Diamond ‘Wrapped Heart’ Brooch by Verdura (estimate $30/40,000), to a pair of 21st century Chrysoprase, Pink Opal and Diamond Earclips by JAR (estimate $60/80,000).

Over 40 designers are represented in the collection, including Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany & Co., David Webb, René Boivin and Michele Della Valle. Many of Mrs. Fisher’s jewels have storied and distinguished provenance, having been formerly in the collection of other celebrated philanthropists including those of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, Mrs. Paul Mellon, Mrs. Babe Paley and Mrs. Brooke Astor – to name a few.

The December sale of Magnificent Jewels will offer a dedicated session presenting over 200 pieces. This initial offering is led by this stunning Platinum and Diamond Ring (estimate $1.25/1.75 million). The ring features a marquise-cut diamond weighing 18.04 carats, D color, VVS1 clarity and potentially internally flawless. Other highlights of the sale include a stylized Gold, Platinum and Diamond ‘Tulip’ Necklace by Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co., France (estimate $80/120,000) and a ‘Mystery-Set’ Ruby and Diamond Brooch by Van Cleef & Arpels, France (estimate $150/200,000).

The Magnificent Jewels sale will also feature a wonderful array of designs by noted American jewelers from David Webb’s classic bold jewelry to the timeless glamour of Tiffany & Co., and Oscar Heyman’s signature ‘pansy’ brooches. Alongside these iconic designers are rare pieces by American designers like a Platinum Diamond and Aquamarine Brooch (estimate $50/70,000) by Paul Flato and a Gold, Platinum and Diamond Necklace (estimate $20/30,000) by Angela Cumming for Tiffany & Co. circa 1980.

Following the Magnificent Jewels sale, Sotheby’s will offer nearly 100 lots from Mrs. Fisher’s collection in the Fine Jewels sale on 9 December. The sale will highlight Mrs. Fisher’s appreciation for the flora and fauna theme – with a gem-encrusted garden composed of roses, carnations, lilies and more. Further offerings of jewelry will be included in sales throughout 2017,

IMPRESSIONIST & MODERN ART DAY SALE
15 November 2016
The collection boasts a wonderful selection of 14 works by Impressionist and Modern masters – including Edgar Degas’ Paysage (estimate $250/350,000), a delightful pastel landscape executed at a pivotal moment in the artist’s career, and Egon Schiele’s Sitzender akt von Vorn (Seated Nude, Front View), (estimate $250/350,000) drawn with the incredible crispness that exemplifies the artist’s understanding of the human form.

CONTEMPORARY ART DAY SALE
18 November 2016
Contemporary artworks by Wayne Thiebaud and Roy Lichtenstein complete the arc of art history that Mrs. Fisher and her late husband achieved in their collecting – the colorful and immediately recognizable works by these artists would have made for fantastic conversation alongside their Impressionist paintings and Latin American sculptures.

LATIN AMERICAN: MODERN ART SALE
22 November 2016
Among the six works to be offered in our Latin American Art sale is an eleven-foot monumental 1999 bronze sculpture Man on a Horse, by Fernando Botero (estimate $800,000/1.2 million). The present work is one of the artist’s most important sculptures, characteristic of the artist’s oeuvre.

COLLECTIONS
Spring & Fall 2017
Sotheby’s will present European furniture, silver, ceramics and decorative art from Mrs. Fisher’s Palm Beach residence in our Collections sales throughout 2017. The great care and passion with which she collected jewelry and fine art is equally evident throughout the wonderfully-eclectic selection of furniture and objects. Styles ranging from Dutch Baroque to French Art Deco are represented, offering an view into Mrs. Fisher’s chic and adventurous life.