The Collection of Mark Isaacson and Greg Nacozy includes over two-hundred works from one of the most significant figures in mid-century collecting. Mark established the influential Fifty/50 gallery in New York in 1981 (later partnering with Mark McDonald and Ralph Cutler in 1983), which shaped the tastes and collecting habits of many and brought furniture, decorative arts and jewelry from the 1930s, 40s and 50s to the forefront of the market at a time when they were largely overlooked.
Fifty/50’s and Mark’s legacy is most closely associated with bringing Italian art glass to the United States (Mark even advised the MET on their Italian glass collection) and raising the profile of mid-century furniture and American studio jewelry and ceramics; iconic examples of each are represented in this auction, including an early Rudder Stool by Isamu Noguchi, Charlotte Perriand’s and Pierre Jeanneret’s Bahut No. 2, a Gerrit Rietveld Zig-Zag chair, pottery by Edwin and Mary Scheier and Fausto Melotti, and Venini glassworks.
The most exciting aspects of this auction are the more intimate ones—the works from Mark's and Greg's personal collection that speak to Mark's eclectic taste, his boundless curiosity and sensitivity toward objects and art, and how generous he was in sharing his interests with others and letting them share with him. Standouts include several works by Robert Mapplethorpe—who was close friends with Mark, photographed several Fifty/50 catalogs and got many of the ceramics in his photographs from the gallery—the ecstatic wood construction Wild Plant by Leo Amino, a painting by Ralston Crawford of a spectacularly minimalist skyscraper façade, and photographic works by Man Ray, Edward Weston, Lynn Davis and Dorothea Lange.
This auction also features many works that tie together the thread of Mark’s collecting practices, going beyond the downtown New York sensibilities of the 1980s and showing the scope of eras and cultures that interested him; the sgraffito incisions on a 1940s Scheier vase echo the geometric features of a Senufo Kpeliye'e mask, the entrancing and complex shadows of a grain elevator in a photograph by Ralston Crawford contrast with the severe plainness of a New York City step-back building captured by Walker Evans, and the radical gestures of gay image making are seen in the works of George Platt Lynes, Paul Cadmus and Robert Loughlin. One of the artists in this sale, George Dureau, a photographer from New Orleans (where Greg is also from) who greatly influenced Mapplethorpe early in his career, perhaps best captures the spirit of this collection, saying about his own work:
“I live a warm, involved, humanist sort of life. There are lots of people passing through it. I have exciting experiences and learn things about people. They always go into my art. I cannot have an experience and it not go into my art.”
Fifty/50 gallery reshaped the collecting market during its twelve-year existence, closing in 1993 after Mark passed away from AIDS; his partner Greg has cared for the collection since. The Collection of Mark Isaacson and Greg Nacozy offers an opportunity to see a short but impactful life lived through an enthusiasm for art and design, one that inspired many to see and appreciate objects and live with them as fully as Mark did.
Aaron Bohrod 1907–1992
Midwestern artist Aaron Bohrod achieved renown for his captivating trompe-l'œil still-life paintings. Born in 1907 in Chicago to Bessarabian-Jewish parents, Bohrod's father, an immigrant grocer, instilled in him a love for art. He honed his skills by attending the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League of New York from 1926 to 1930, where the works of John Sloan inspired him to depict scenes from his immediate surroundings.
Upon returning to Chicago, Bohrod dedicated himself to portraying the city's vibrant working-class neighborhoods. His exceptional talent and unwavering commitment were recognized with prestigious Guggenheim Fellowships, which enabled him to embark on a journey across the nation, capturing the diverse American landscape on canvas. Celebrated as a social realist and regional painter and printmaker, Bohrod's works gained prominence thanks to the promotional efforts of the Associated American Artists in New York. Notably, Bohrod showcased his artistic prowess by completing three commissioned murals for the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts in Illinois.
During World War II, Bohrod contributed his artistic skills to the United States Army Corps of Engineers' War Art Unit, initially serving in the Pacific and later documenting European scenes for LIFE magazine. In 1948, Bohrod assumed the role of artist in residence at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, succeeding John Steuart Curry, and remained in that position until 1973. Bohrod's artistic merit was further recognized when he was elected as an Associate member of the National Academy of Design in 1951, eventually becoming a full member in 1953.
In the 1950s, Bohrod developed his signature trompe-l'œil style, which featured highly realistic and meticulously detailed still-life paintings, skillfully creating an illusion of lifelike objects. This distinctive approach brought him international acclaim and recognition. By the time that Bohrod passed away in 1992, succumbing to liver cancer, his artistic niche had fallen out of fashion. Neverthless, examples of Bohrod's impressive works may be found today in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC, and elsewhere.
Auction Results Aaron Bohrod
