Christie's The Russell B. Aitken Collection of Wildfowl Decoys in Association with Guyette and Schmidt, Inc. New York 1/18/03 Sale 1253

The Russell B. Aitken Collection of Wildfowl Decoys In Association with Guyette & Schmidt, Inc. 18 January 2003 20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York this catalog contains 160 pages 365 lots Russell B. Aitken (1910-2002) lived during the golden age of American outdoorsmen, hunting and fishing across great expanses of wilderness where animals were kings. A figure Hemingway might have borrowed from real life, Aitken was the quintessential competitor, talented and determined, as focused in stalking a Cape buffalo or shooting pigeons as he was in collecting art. Read more > Aitken's passions for art and natural history inspired his collection of wildfowl decoys. For him, decoys represented American sculpture, matching his lifelong interest in shooting with his appreciation for the elegance of the birds and the artistic accomplishment of the carvers. Like many a hunter, he came to understand the fragility of wildlife and with his wife, Irene, worked to protect it. He was an early benefactor of the World Wildlife Fund, Ducks Unlimited, the International Crane Foundation, the National Audubon Society and the Wildlife Conservation Society. Few men have the abilities that gave Russell Aitken so much success in so many areas. His activities created a joie de vivre of the greatest intensity. His legacy brims with achievement and the memory of a man who sought excellence, and found it, in everything he did continues to be cherished by many who knew him.

Catalog is in Brand New condition.