Helena Rubinstein: Madame's Collection

A gray matte softcover book with French flaps. The title is printed in purple across the front cover and down the spine. The front cover features black-and-white illustrations. Pages: (13), 14-239, (1). Profusely illustrated with full-color and black-and-white images. An extraordinary figure, the first 20th century business woman, a self-made and emancipated woman, a visionary. There are no shortage of superlatives to describe the incredible rise to fame of Helena Rubinstein (1870-1965), dubbed the Empress of beauty by Cocteau, but her role as an experienced collector and a pioneer in the recognition of African and Oceanic arts in Europe and North America is often overlooked. Primarily amassed in Paris through her various encounters, "Madame's collection", now dispersed, comprised over 400 pieces of non-European art including precious Kota and Fang reliquary guardians, exceptional Baoulé, Bamana, Senoufo and Doghon pieces stood alongside works by contemporary painters and sculptors such as Chagall, Braque and Picasso, as well as the array of other spheres covered by the collection. "Businesswoman and founder of a vast cosmetics empire, Helena Rubinstein (1872-1965) spent much of her life assembling an eclectic art collection that made her one of the most important collectors and patrons of the first half of the 20th century. Including wonderful examples of African art, the dazzling ensemble also featured Amerindian, Pacific, and Indonesian artifacts. Following her death, the collections "Madame" had so dramatically displayed in her many homes were disposed of at several historic auctions. Testifying to the key place these objects occupied in Helena Rubinstein's existence and retracing their long journey, this book at last tells the true story of a major collection. Contents are as follows: Recollections of the Helena Rubinstein sale of African and Oceanic art / David Nash -- Madame's collection : Africa at its heart / Hélène Joubert -- Frederic-Henri Lem's mid-twentieth century case for African art and its study / Susan Elizabeth Gagliardi -- Equatorial African treasures from the Rubinstein collection / Charlotte Grand-Dufay -- Masks, mirrors, and mise en scène. The collection and the image / Yaëlle Biro -- Madame and me / Suzanne Slesin -- Helena Rubinstein: the power of an art collection / Julie Verlaine -- To collect "Au Féminin" / Susan Kloman -- A conversation with Estrellita B. Brodsky / Catherine Grenier. VG+: A book in excellent condition, with bright pages and solid binding.…