The Lipchitz Legacy: Works from the Collection of Hanno D. Mott
Born in Berlin in 1933, Hanno D. Mott (1933–2026) lived a life shaped by history, family and an enduring devotion to the arts. In 1938, at the age of five, he fled Nazi Germany with his family, settling in Cincinnati, Ohio, where his father re-established his legal practice and helped found a synagogue for fellow Jewish refugees. Hanno would follow his father into the legal profession, graduating from the University of Cincinnati before completing a postgraduate degree in taxation at New York University in 1958. Over the following decades, he established a distinguished career as an attorney, developing particular expertise in taxation, immigration and art law. His professional accomplishments were matched by an equally profound commitment to philanthropy, education and cultural institutions, among them the Israel Museum, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the International Foundation for Art Research.
Left: Jacques Lipchitz, Bas-relief III (Nature morte à la bouteille de vin), conceived in 1918; executed circa 1967-1971. To be offered in the Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale, Christie's New York, 18 November 2026. {{break}} Right: Jacques Lipchitz, Bas-relief II (Nature morte à la bouteille de vin), 1918. To be offered in the Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale, Christie's New York, 18 November 2026.
Left: Jacques Lipchitz, Bas-relief III (Nature morte à la bouteille de vin), conceived in 1918; executed circa 1967-1971. To be offered in the Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale, Christie's New York, 18 November 2026. {{break}} Right: Jacques Lipchitz, Bas-relief II (Nature morte à la bouteille de vin), 1918. To be offered in the Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale, Christie's New York, 18 November 2026.
Art occupied a singular place in Hanno's life, both personally and professionally. His mother, Yulla, had married the great Cubist sculptor Jacques Lipchitz, whose arrival in America as a refugee from Europe had brought him into the same world of displacement, reinvention and artistic possibility that had shaped Hanno's own childhood. Their relationship grew into one of exceptional closeness and mutual trust. Hanno became Lipchitz's lawyer, tax adviser and confidant, and following the sculptor's death in 1973, assumed a central role in preserving his artistic legacy as President of the Jacques and Yulla Lipchitz Foundation. He approached this responsibility with characteristic intelligence, independence and generosity, overseeing the preservation, study and placement of works in public collections. It was through this commitment that I first came to know Hanno, during my years at the Institut Valencià d'Art Modern, to which he made an important gift of Lipchitz sculptures, followed by further donations of drawings. Our friendship and collaboration continued over many years, united by a shared belief in the importance of making the artist's work accessible to future generations.
Jacques Lipchitz in the studio, circa 1923.
Jacques Lipchitz in the studio, circa 1923.
Yet to understand Hanno principally through his connection to Lipchitz would be to overlook the remarkable breadth of his own life. A man of considerable learning and intellectual curiosity, he was equally at ease in the worlds of law, art and philanthropy, bringing to each a keen judgment, unfailing directness and deeply held sense of responsibility. Together with his wife and partner he travelled widely, cultivating friendships across continents and sharing a passion for museums, exhibitions and the discovery of art. Family remained at the centre of his world, as did the Jewish traditions and values that had sustained his family through its extraordinary history. He was a devoted husband, brother and uncle, a generous mentor and a steadfast supporter of the communities and institutions he held dear. The works presented here offer an intimate glimpse into a life lived in close proximity to some of the defining artistic achievements of the twentieth century, but they speak equally to Hanno's own discerning eye and independent spirit. Above all, they reflect the character of a man who understood that the true value of art lies not simply in its possession, but in its preservation, appreciation and passage to generations yet to come.
Written by Professor Doctor Kosme de Barañano