Legends of Modern Art

The Bassetts

Mid-century Los Angelenos Edyth and Phillip Bassett shared a love for rare and special objects, collecting fine art prints by many of the titans of modern art: Picasso, Braque, Miró, Magritte, Cocteau and others. The Bassetts were self-taught art historians who shared a passion for extensive research, collecting one piece at a time and sharpening their aesthetic along the way. After decades of collecting, the couple left behind a treasure box of exquisite works with a list of names that reads like a blockbuster MOMA show. Now, decades later, we’ve archivally framed many of these works for the first time, preparing them for their next passionate custodian.
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The Mid Century Collector in California

For many Americans, the post-war era of the late 1940s and 1950s brought a period of economic stability, and domestic security. This economic boom also spurred a cultural explosion on the west coast. Hip, happening Los Angeles was the city of innovation and Hollywood glamour. From the silver screen to emergence of prominent art institutions such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) - design and art gained new traction and became part of the aesthetic of what it meant to be a “cultured” Californian.