Wright Auction

The following twelve works come from the esteemed collection of L. William (Bill) and Nicole Teweles. Together the Teweles enjoyed an active role in the Milwaukee art community; they funded the Teweles Gallery at the Milwaukee Art Museum in the 1980s, donated several works to the museum’s collection and Bill served on the museum’s Board of Trustees for many years. Beyond supporting the museum and artistic community, the two built an exceptional collection of art over the years.

Nicole Teweles (nee Emmerich) was raised in the European world of fine art, exposed through her grandfather who was an art dealer in Paris throughout the early decades of the 20th century. In 1940, Nicole, her parents, and brother, André, all immigrated to the United States where the arts continued to be a familial pursuit. By the end of the following decade, Nicole had married Bill and settled in Milwaukee where she quickly became involved with the Milwaukee Art Museum lecturing on a variety of topics from Egyptian Art to Art Deco and writing a column on objects from the museum’s collection for their monthly publication.

Meanwhile, Nicole’s brother established The André Emmerich Gallery, with locations both in New York and Zurich. André’s taste was wide-ranging but he was well-known as the champion of Color Field painting and also for introducing American collections to Columbian art. André became recognized as one of the most important international art gallerists becoming close personal friends with many of the artists he exhibited and collected.

It was through André Emmerich and his gallery that the Teweles acquired the many notable works of their collection. Through decades of collecting, Nicole, Bill and André shared a close friendship and passion for the best of contemporary art.