Auction PR Publicity Announcements News and Information
Auction PR Publicity Announcements News and Information

Gray’s Auctioneers to Auction Estate of Odette Valabregue Wurzburger

CLEVELAND, OHIO – Gray’s Auctioneers, Northeast Ohio’s premier fine art and antique auction house, is pleased to announce the sale of over one hundred and fifty items from the estate of Odette Valabregue Wurzburger. Notable items include a signed Van Cleef & Arpels eighteen-karat gold and diamond dome ring set with 17 round diamonds weighing approximately 5.50 carats estimated at $3500-4500.00, and a Joan Miró lithograph Le Lizard aux Plumes d’or estimated at $3000-5000. The auction will take place on Saturday, September 27th 1:00 pm, and is anticipated to generate interest from international dealers and private collectors alike.

Wurzburger, who passed away in 2006 at the age of 96, was born in Avignon, France, and received her law degree from the Université Montpellier. Early in her career, she specialized in cases protecting children and championed reform in the juvenile court system. During World War II, she was awarded numerous decorations for her fervent patriotism and service with the French resistance during the Nazi occupation. In 1948, she moved to Paris and practiced corporate and international patent law.

After immigrating to Cleveland in1960, Wurzburger became a patron to many of the city’s fine art and cultural institutions and provided scholarships for American students to study in France and for French students to study at Bowling Green State University. During the mid 1970s, she co-founded the Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition, now known as the Cleveland International Piano Competition.

In the 1980s, Wurzburger began teaching French law at Case Western Reserve University which she conducted solely in the French language. In 1974, after the death of her husband, noted patent attorney and French Honorary Consul General, Paul Wurzburger, she began donating major pieces of French and contemporary art to the Cleveland Museum of Art in his memory.

‘We are thrilled and honored to have been selected by the executors of the Wurzburger estate to present this auction,’ said Deba Gray, President and Auctioneer of Gray’s Auctioneers. ‘This is a very special opportunity for the greater Cleveland community and Northeast Ohio to celebrate the life and legacy of this extraordinary woman.’

In addition to the Van Cleef & Arpels diamond ring set and the Miró lithograph, other notable items from the Wurzburger estate will include an 18th century George II mahogany circular tilt-top tripod table $1000-2000, a double strand cultured pearl necklace $2000-3000 and a François Desnoyer signed oil-on-canvas Anemones $2000-4000.

Also up for sale is a group of pre-Columbian figures, a group of carved African masks, a group of gold coins, a pair of Sevres Porcelain Covered Urns with a Chateau de Tuilieries mark, an early 19th century Regency mahogany Pembroke table and various lithographs, drawings and oils by Picasso, Matisse and Raoul Dufy, along with various works from Wilson Richard, Saul Steinberg, Raoul Ubac, Magritte and Gruber among others.

All lots will be on exhibition beginning Thursday, September 25th 12 noon to 8:00 pm and Friday, September 26th 12 noon to 5:00 pm. Auction starts Saturday, September 27th 1:00 pm. Doors open for last minute preview at 11:30 am. The fully illustrated catalogue is now available online on our web site.

‘Gray’s Auctioneers are delighted to offer this collection,’ said Serena Harragin, chief executive officer, Gray’s Auctioneers. ‘Other fine art and jewelry from the estate of Odette Valabregue Wurzburger will be offered for sale this fall and next spring at Sotheby’s New York and Paris locations.’

About Gray’s Auctioneers, LLC
Gray’s Auctioneers is one of the largest Fine Arts and Antique Auction Houses in Cleveland and the surrounding Northeast Ohio region. We also have an office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Gray’s Auctioneers specializes in Fine Arts and Antiques Auctions. All auctions are open to the public and take place live in our custom designed showroom. The fully illustrated catalogue is available online on our web site 10 days before the auction. Bids may be left online and we also accept bids online live during the auction. We are currently accepting consignments for upcoming auctions. For a confidential and complimentary appraisal, please contact our offices at 216.458.7695 or visit our website at www.graysauctioneers.com.