“Hey! Did you know that Art does not exist...,” presents, for the first time in Israel, over 100 works from this rare collection, among them works that have become iconic and metonymic of the 20th century.
“Sylvio only holds exhibitions of his collection in places that matter to him personally,” said curator David Rosenberg, who curates all of the collection’s exhibitions.
“He held an exhibition in Paris because that’s where most of the works usually hang in his home. He had an exhibition in Belgium because he was born there and his family lives there, and in Brazil because that is where he grew up. He loves New York and has many friends among the artists there, so we had an exhibition in New York; and Israel – well, he has very strong emotional ties with Israel,” said the curator.
Over the past five decades, Perlstein, who was born in Belgium and raised in Rio de Janeiro, and lives in Belgium, France and the US, has collected works by prominent 20th-century artists, most of whom he met and became friends with.
Above all, this exhibition is a testimony to the importance of art collecting in the development of the world of fine arts. This personal collection traces artists and trends throughout the 20th century until today. It includes Dada and Surrealist artists, abstract and conceptual art, minimalism, pop art, Arte Povera, contemporary art and more, as well as a uniquely extensive and outstanding collection of photography.
The exhibition presents over 100 works from this rare collection, among them works that have become iconic and metonymic of the 20th century, focusing on four main pillars of the Perlstein collection: Dada & Surrealism, vintage photography from the 20th century, minimalism, and contemporary art, which Perlstein is deeply passionate about. There works on view by iconic artists, among them Josef Albers, Carl Andre, Irving Penn, Diane Arbus, Hans Bellmer, André Breton, Marcel Broodthaers, Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, Hannah Höch, Jenny Holzer, Donald Judd, Sol LeWitt, Roy Lichtenstein, René Magritte, Man Ray and Bruce Nauman.
“I have been traveling between Europe and the USA since the 1960s, and I never drew borders around my collection,” said Perlstein about his collection.
“I am intrigued by photography as much as I am drawn to minimalism and conceptual art, and I collect Dada and Surrealism with as much enthusiasm as I do contemporary art. I am attracted to works that are nonconformist and even bizarre, and that challenge me. I also love works with humor. There has to be a twist, sarcasm or something that shakes our conventions,” he explained.
Opening July 27, closing January 9, 2022, at the Tel Aviv Museum. Curator Noa Rosenberg, guest curator David Rosenberg.