Raymond and Suzanne Fischof-La Foux: The Novel-Worthy Story of a Couple’s Collection

The dispersal of Raymond and Suzanne Fischof-La Foux’s collection is also the story of two art and jewelry lovers who united their destinies in 1950 at the George V Hotel, which also hosted the exhibition of the works they amassed in their avenue Foch apartment. Raymond, an engineer turned publicist, press tycoon, real estate mogul and adviser to François Mitterrand, entertained his business associates there, but the couple also welcomed figures from the world of culture and the arts. Moïse Kisling became a friend of the couple’s after meeting Suzanne. Four of his paintings were in the small living room, including a portrait of “Suzie” at the age of 24. She had been introduced to the painter in 1943 in New York, where she was living with her aunt. Fleeing the Occupation, Kisling arrived in New York in 1941, travelling on to Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Washington before returning to his first American port of call later that year. His studio became a haven for exiled Parisian artists and intellectuals, and he painted a number of portraits, including one dedicated "à Suzanne de Saint-Jean de tout cœur" ("to Suzanne de Saint-Jean with all my heart") in 1944 (€30,000/50,00).…