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Lot Essay
Ben and Gloria Engel were passionate and enthusiastic collectors of 20th century art and design. Their impressive collection was assembled over a fifty-year period, during which time they were regular devotees of museums and art galleries throughout the world. Gloria was a wife, mother, professor, designer and world traveler—a truly modern renaissance woman. Born in Los Angeles, Gloria graduated from Beverly Hills High School and then continued her education at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1943, she married Ben, her partner in life, who was to become her husband for 71 years. While her academic career was initially interrupted by marriage, motherhood and World War II, she made a purposeful return to UCLA in 1956, obtaining her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 1959, and going on to complete a Master of Arts in Psychology in 1962 and a Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology in 1968. She subsequently joined the faculty at the University of Southern California, holding the title of Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine until her retirement in 1987.
Ben, a native of New York City, moved with his family to Los Angeles at the age of twelve. He was an academic prodigy, graduating from Hollywood High School at the age of fifteen and receiving his D.D.S. degree from the University of Southern California by age twenty-one. After marrying Gloria, Ben went overseas, serving his country in World War II as an army dentist in the Philippines. Following the war, Ben established a dental practice in Sherman Oaks, California where he worked until his retirement in 1987.
Over the years, the Engels traveled extensively, and their visits to museums around the world led them to eventually establish their own private collection. Beginning in the 1960s, they began purchasing 20th century paintings and sculptures. As the years passed, their collection grew, and their acquisition of a home in Paris, where they spent each Spring and Autumn together for twenty years, allowed them to pursue their passion for art with vigor. This pursuit was furthered by their subsequent move to New York City, which similarly provided immediate access to some of their favorite museums and art galleries.
After Ben’s passing in 2014, Gloria moved to Los Angeles permanently, where she resided until her own death in 2016, at the age of 95. When informed of Ben’s passing, a well-known New York art dealer summed up the Engels’ lives succinctly, and perfectly: “They had a great run!”
Ben, a native of New York City, moved with his family to Los Angeles at the age of twelve. He was an academic prodigy, graduating from Hollywood High School at the age of fifteen and receiving his D.D.S. degree from the University of Southern California by age twenty-one. After marrying Gloria, Ben went overseas, serving his country in World War II as an army dentist in the Philippines. Following the war, Ben established a dental practice in Sherman Oaks, California where he worked until his retirement in 1987.
Over the years, the Engels traveled extensively, and their visits to museums around the world led them to eventually establish their own private collection. Beginning in the 1960s, they began purchasing 20th century paintings and sculptures. As the years passed, their collection grew, and their acquisition of a home in Paris, where they spent each Spring and Autumn together for twenty years, allowed them to pursue their passion for art with vigor. This pursuit was furthered by their subsequent move to New York City, which similarly provided immediate access to some of their favorite museums and art galleries.
After Ben’s passing in 2014, Gloria moved to Los Angeles permanently, where she resided until her own death in 2016, at the age of 95. When informed of Ben’s passing, a well-known New York art dealer summed up the Engels’ lives succinctly, and perfectly: “They had a great run!”