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Palm Beach Modern serves up Tupperware’s corporate art collection, Dec. 3

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson
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Rico Baca and Wade Terwilliger, co-owners of Palm Beach Modern Auctions, are seated in front of the Richard Mayhew painting. The work was acquired by Tupperware Brands in 1975 and is being seen for the first time outside their campus since then. Image courtesy of PBMA

LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. – When Palm Beach Modern’s auctioneer Rico Baca set foot on the Tupperware Brands campus, he knew he was there to look at art that could be sold to the advantage of both firms. What he didn’t expect was the magnitude and importance of the corporate collection, which will be auctioned this Saturday, December 3, with absentee and Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.

Household names in modern art take center stage in first offering of collection built in 1970s-’80s

“There was art everywhere,” said Baca. “Paintings lined hallways, conference rooms and climate-controlled storage units. I recognized many of the artists immediately. Who knew that this iconic name in housewares held an art collection representing some of the most noteworthy names in modern art? Not just big names, but big colorful paintings, any one of which would be joyful to own. It was stunning.”

From that initial meeting, the timetable was quick. The tour was followed by conferences, contracts and a second trip to Orlando…this time with admin staff and a team of movers to transport the art to the auction house Lake Worth Beach for photography, cataloging and display. Fast forward a few weeks, and 56 of the more than 800 works are on the walls at Palm Beach Modern Auctions.

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Darin Roney reviews the catalog for Palm Beach Modern Auctions’ December 3 auction. Depicted works from the Tupperware Corporate Collection include large canvases by Robert Natkin and Paul Jenkins. Image courtesy of PBMA

Baca continued, “This has the feel of a gallery opening more than simply an auction preview. The artwork – pieces by Richard Anuszkiewicz, Paul Jenkins, Richard Mayhew and Robert Natkin and more – have been out of the public eye for forty to fifty years. Most were acquired by Tupperware in the 1970s and 80s. They’re ready for something new.”

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Rico Baca, co-owner and auctioneer at Palm Beach Modern Auctions, stands before two large paintings by Richard Anuszkiewicz, up for auction on December 3. Image courtesy of PBMA

The first segment of the Tupperware Collection (including the works referenced here) will be auctioned by Palm Beach Modern Auctions on Saturday, December 3, 2022. The auction will begin at 12:00 noon ET, with absentee and Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers. For additional information on any artwork in the auction, contact info@modernauctions.com or call 561-586-5500.

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