Crafted in Wood: Including Works from the Collection of Ken Spitzbard 
17 July 2024
Crafted in Wood: Including Works from the Collection of Ken Spitzbard 
187

John Jordan 1950–2023

Collection of seven vases

1990-94
box elder, honey locust, pink ivory wood, red maple, brass, copper leaf largest: 15¾ h × 8 dia in (40 × 20 cm) smallest: 6 h × 4¾ dia in (15 × 12 cm)
estimate: $1,000–2,000
result: $2,394
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Signed and dated with wood type to underside of each example 'John Jordan 1990 red maple', '1992 box elder', '1992 honey locust', '1992 pink ivory', '92 pink ivory', '94'.
provenance: The Lipton Collection

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The Lipton Collection

Born and raised in Toronto, Dr. Irving Lipton (1923 - 2001) built what was, for a while, the largest contemporary wood collection in the world. He and his wife, Mari, settled in California in the 1950s but his passion for wood art did not start until 1972 when, at the Westwood Art Fair, he acquired a thirty-five-dollar jewelry box from Michael Graham. Some months later, he encountered Graham again, and heard of his idea for a much fancier jewelry box, one the artist couldn’t afford to build. Lipton committed to buying the piece on the spot, allowing the artist to get started on the project. The resulting box was exhibited at several museums and galleries before Dr. Lipton received it, sparking in him an excitement for collecting that would only grow.

Dr. Lipton...became a true patron of the arts, explaining “I see a remarkable comparison with my profession as a pediatrician in stimulating the growth and development of contemporary wood art.”

Dr. Lipton developed into more than just a collector, he became a true patron of the arts, explaining “I see a remarkable comparison with my profession as a pediatrician in stimulating the growth and development of contemporary wood art.” He nurtured close, personal relationships with the artists whose pieces he collected, and he delighted in seeing the evolution of their work over time. Dr. Lipton’s primary criteria for acquisitions revolved around the artist’s vision and their ideas; he had a profound appreciation for, and curiosity about, each work and their creator, reflecting that his “horizons of thought and concept have been broadened, and collecting has helped me to be a more sensitive and mature individual.” He even postponed his retirement from medicine to continue supporting artists and adding to his collection. 

Dr. Lipton also recognized the importance of sharing these fine creations with the world. 

Dr. Lipton also recognized the importance of sharing these fine creations with the world. Much of his collection was exhibited internationally, and he would go on to donate pieces to a number of organizations and institutions, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and the Yale University Art Gallery. As a result of his personal connections with artists and his approach to acquiring pieces over the course of their careers, his collection became a fascinating repository which documented the evolution of individual artists as well as of the field of woodworking as a whole. 


Bibliography

Wallace, Kevin. The Cutting Edge: The Lipton Collection and Contemporary Wood Art. Antioch, CA: Fine Arts Press, 2011.

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