Legendary Sire Records co-founder, Seymour Stein, kick-started the era of punk and new wave music in the 1970s and ‘80s, by signing to the label such iconic artists as the Ramones, The Smiths, Talking Heads, Depeche Mode, Ice-T, and famously, in 1982, Madonna. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.

Beginning in the early 1970s, while traveling as a young businessman throughout Europe, Stein developed an enthusiasm for early 20th-century art. Wherever he went, he sought out antique stores, art fairs, and major auction houses — ultimately forging a vast collection.

The Collecting Eye of Seymour Stein, Sotheby’s 2003 auction showcased Stein’s interest in Art Deco furniture and porcelain, metalwork and glassware, European Symbolist and Pre-Raphaelite paintings. Works from the distinguished collection were also included in Sotheby’s 2018, Victorian, Pre-Raphaelite & British Impressionist Art, auction.

Seymour Stein passed on April 2nd, 2023.