Helen Zell is an avid and self-described “obsessive” art collector. Her evolving collection includes some amazing Surrealist pieces along with quite a few important 20th-century pieces.
Recently honored by the Smart Museum of Art and presented with the Joseph R. Shapiro Award for her vision and connoisseurship, she loves her collection so much that she’s often been know to invite museum groups, students and even children into her 62nd-floor penthouse for viewing. The constantly-evolving collection includes surrealist paintings by Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, and Yves Tanguy, as well as works by Joseph Cornell, Frida Kahlo, and Joan Miró.
Mrs. Helen Zell in her penthouse with a couple of her impresssive Surrealist paintings in the background.
Image courtesy of: Michigan Radio
Helen Zell walks past walls and shelves of priceless art within her Chicago penthouse.
Image courtsey of: Vimeo
Roy Lichtenstein’s “Frolic” was painted in 1977. Zell loved this painting from the first time she saw it at the Art Institute’s Lichtenstein show in 2012. A deal was made months later and thereafter, Zell was able to meet Lichenstein’s widow. The woman told Zell about how Roy would chase her down the beach when they were young and that was the paintings personal subject; what a great story!
Image courtesy of: Alain Truong
