On February 15th Wright presents Florsheim / Goldberg: An Extended Conversation at auction. This exceptional sale highlights two extraordinary people – Lillian Florsheim, an elegant and thoughtful woman who amassed a remarkable collection of art while producing her own art, and her son-in-law, Bertrand Goldberg, an innovative architect whose iconic structures standout in the Chicago skyline.

Selections from the sale will be on view staring February 1st in both our New York and Chicago galleries. On February 7th we will host an evening reception from 5 – 8 pm in our New York gallery. A specialized publication will also be available.

Josef Albers Dark $200,000 – 300,000

Florsheim / Goldberg

An Extended Conversation

This auction highlights an exchange between two extraordinary people – Lillian Florsheim, an elegant and thoughtful woman who amassed a remarkable collection of art while producing her own art, and her son-in-law, Bertrand Goldberg, an innovative architect whose iconic structures stand out in the Chicago skyline. Intensely creative, both Lillian and Bertrand surrounded themselves with art and objects and maintained relationships with important artists across the globe. Their friendship developed over shared ideas, interests, and concepts explored in their individual artistic practices and in the artworks they collected.

Nancy Florsheim, Lillian’s daughter, brought the two together. Nancy married Bertrand in 1946 and two years later Lillian asked her architect son-in-law to renovate her home and studio. For the project, Bertrand designed a pioneering and sophisticated kitchen that bridged the two buildings, clad in fiberglass and featuring only white, black and silver within. The relationship grew from there, as Lillian supported Bertrand and he in turn encouraged her work and interest in the arts. Bertrand helped Lillian by making special displays for the art she collected and for her own works, and developed special lighting and hardware systems in her studio. He photographed her works and lit her shows.


Lillian Florsheim’s home interior


Bertrand Goldberg The Architect



One of several Americans who studied at the Bauhaus, Bertrand Goldberg is unique for his extensive and productive architectural career that spanned from the 1930s into the 1990s. Born in Chicago, Goldberg first went to Harvard before going to study at the Bauhaus in Germany, working briefly in the small office of Mies van der Rohe in Berlin. After returning to Chicago, he started his own firm in 1937, working on both single family residences and industrial design, with his custom answers burnished with his growing knowledge of manufacturing. 

Works by Bertrand Goldberg

Victor Vasarely Quasar $30,000 – 50,000

DeWain Valentine Disc $50,000 – 70,000

Lillian Florsheim The Artist

Lillian’s artistic production took place late in her life; she began studying art in the late 1940s in her fifties and she continued to work until her eighties. She began with painting courses taught by Rudolph Weisenborn and George Buehle, both in Chicago. After viewing a work by Max Bill at the Art Institute of Chicago she became more interested in abstract work and enrolled in classes with Hugo Weber at the Institute of Design in 1951. Here she was introduced to more exploratory abstractions and three-dimensional studies, working with string and wire armatures, a technique derived from László Moholy-Nagy’s early teachings at the school.

Lillian Florsheim in her art studio


Works by Lillian Florsheim

The works of this extraordinary sale are published in a bespoke, full-color catalog celebrating the creative production and collections of the artist Lillian Florsheim and the architect Bertrand Goldberg. Order your copy today! 

Maxim's de Paris, Chicago

1960 – 1982

The Goldberg family brought the famed Maxim’s de Paris to Chicago in the early 1960s, introducing haute-cuisine, in what had been to date a steak and martini town.

Ground level entrance at Astor Tower to Maxim's de Paris


Nancy Goldberg was developing a new boutique hotel tower in Chicago’s Gold Coast, next door to the Ambassador Hotel, and in need of a restaurant. Her architect and husband, Bertrand, asked his elegant mother-in-law for the best restaurant in the world; she quickly identified Maxim’s de Paris. Bertrand began a campaign to recruit its Parisian owners, first by making a unique French cultural center in the building, and then personally persuading them to make a franchise in Chicago, their first ever. It was a unique moment for both.

Florsheim / Goldberg

For more information about
this sale, please contact:

312 563 0020
sales@wright20.com

Exhibition / New York
1 – 15 February 2018
11 am – 5 pm Monday – Friday

Evening Reception / New York
7 February 2018
5 – 8 pm

Auction / Chicago
15 February 2018
12 pm central

Exhibition / Chicago
1 – 15 February 2018
10 am – 4 pm Monday – Friday
12 – 4 pm Saturday