S.I. Newhouse: Portrait of a Collector

S.I. Newhouse Jr. was a titan of the media business in the late 20th Century, presiding over Conde Nast but also owning with his brother Donald Advance Publication’s chain of newspapers and other cable television properties and networks. He was one of the preeminent collectors of Post-war and Contemporary art. Through the painter Alexander Liberman, who served as Conde Nast’s Editorial Director, he met the abstract expressionist Barnett Newman. Through Newman, he developed an interest in abstract expressionism and color field painting. But Newhouse was also a restless and inquisitive collector open to pursuing new ideas and remaking his collection continually. Alex Rotter, Chairman of Christie’s 20/21 art departments, and Max Carter, a Vice Chairman, sat down to talk about Newhouse as a collector and the important works that are being sold this season.