Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987) was one of America's preeminent collectors. An M.D. by training, he amassed a fortune by gaining the rights to import and sell Valium in the United States. Sackler was also a scholar and patron of the arts. He endowed galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Princeton University, the Arthur M. Sackler Museum at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Arthur M. Sackler Museum of Art and Archaeology at Peking University in Beijing, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C., and the Jillian & Arthur M. Sackler Wing at the Royal Academy, London. Among these buildings that bear Sackler's name are noteworthy designs by major architects. Especially important is his Arthur M. Sackler Museum in Cambridge, one of only four structures in the U.S. by James Stirling, widely regarded as the leading British architect of the 20th century. He also established a wide range of medical institutions bearing his name.

        Provenance: The pieces offered here are all from the Arthur M. Sackler collection released by Sotheby's c. 2009 from long term storage. Sold at auction by Millea Bros. at the Morristown, New Jersey Armory, February 2011.

"Collecting is an infection which is more intractable than any virus and from which there is no inoculation and no immunity."

Arthur Sackler, Physician, Philanthropist, and Art Collector

---