Seymour Stein, the Collector

Even if you have never heard the name of Seymour Stein, you have certainly enjoyed his enterprise. Because Stein (b. 1942) is the co-founder (with Richard Gottehrer) and Chairman of Sire Records, one of the world’s most influential record labels, and the one which famously came to introduce British underground progressive bands to the American market. Less known is that Seymour has lent his extraordinary eye for music to collecting design, and that he has been a serious collector, who over the past 40 years developed an amazing connosseruship in historical design, particularly ceramics. On February 16^th Rago will offer his collection for sale. It will be the third portion of Stein’s collection offered by the NJ-based auction house, and certainly the best of the three.  

Stein’s legacy is well know. In 1955, when he was just 13 years old, he was granted access to the Billboard archives, where he painstakingly transcribed two decades of charts, developing his encyclopedic memory of songs. After high school, he joined the Billboard staff, then worked for King Records and Red Bird Records, until founding Sire Records in 1967. He has been credited for putting New Wave music on the mainstream ma, with Talking Heads and the Pretenders, and the first to sign Madonna.

The story of Stein as a collector and his defined taste is told in this auction. Like many collectors who started to shape their passion for design in the 80s, he has a particular love for French Art Deco. Under the guidance of his long-time curator and adviser Rodney Richardson, Stein has acquired some of the finest examples of ceramics, glass, and furniture that appeared on the market. ‘Seymour always gave us excellent material,’ told me David Rago, the dynamic founder of the auction house, ‘but this is the best of all.’ The sale includes extraordinary examples of lacquer furniture and panels by Jean Dunand, rarely seen glass panels by Rene Lalique, and breathtaking historical ceramics. An amazing opportunity to score refined examples of 1930s design.