Lot For me, Ruth and Harvey Kaplan were part and parcel of that great generation of Chicagoans whose lives, both public and personal, defined a generation. They and their circle were civic, cultural and business leaders of a city which their forward thinking helped define.
The great Mies van der Rohe follower and society architect Samuel Marx designed and decorated their first home. It was Marx, a board member of both The Art Institute of Chicago and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, who helped them to begin to appreciate art; an appreciation which would result, years later, in a very private but world-class collection. They bought pictures from their friend and business acquaintance Leigh Block, acquiring George Rouault's Carlotta.
Block was in the steel business, as was Harvey Kaplan, the industry which built and sustained Chicago for so many decades. What is clear in all of their correspondence with dealers, advisors and curators is that they bought above all with their heart, and they gave back to the city which they grew up in and loved. Ruth and Harvey Kaplan were quiet about their collecting. While their Guston was often requested for exhibitions by institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art, they rarely wanted to be without their pictures for lengthy periods.
It is my pleasure to be able to share with today's collectors a small glimpse of these extraordinary people and the milieu in which they lived. My grandma Ruth lived the fullest and most fabulous life imaginable. For almost 95 years, her generosity, strength, and loving nature made the lives of those around her better.
Her passing marks the end of an era in our family. She was the last of a larger than life generation, consisting of 10 brothers and sisters, and their spouses.
