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The Collection of Jay I. Kislak sold to benefit the Kislak Family Foundation

Wed, Jun 15, 2022 at 10am EDT |
New York
2022-06-15 10:00:00 2022-06-15 18:00:00 America/New_York The Collection of Jay I. Kislak sold to benefit the Kislak Family Foundation Special Preview in Palm Beach on April 28 - May 5. Please note that the end time is an estimate based on average auction duration and is not guaranteed; auctions may end earlier or later than their estimated end time. New York Doyle [email protected]
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Special Preview in Palm Beach on April 28 - May 5

Exhibition Dates
Sat, Jun 11
12pm – 5pm
Sun, Jun 12
12pm – 5pm
Mon, Jun 13
12pm – 5pm
Location

Doyle New York
175 East 87th Street
New York,  NY  10128

  • Auction of The Collection of Jay I. Kislak Sold to Benefit the Kislak Family Foundation on Wednesday, June 15, 2022 at 10am
  • Featuring Roman Antiquities, Fine Art, Photographs, Maps and Books Relating to the Early History of Florida
  • Special Preview in Palm Beach on April 28 - May 5

Palm Beach Preview
Thursday, April 28 through Thursday, May 5 from 10am - 4pm
Doyle Palm Beach, 208 Brazilian Avenue, Palm Beach, Florida
Information: 561-360-2308, [email protected] 
 

NEW YORK, NY -- Doyle is honored to auction The Collection of Jay I. Kislak Sold to Benefit the Kislak Family Foundation on Wednesday, June 15, 2022 at 10am. This exceptional and extensive collection comprises Roman antiquities, fine art, photographs, maps and books relating to the early history of Florida.

Jay I. Kislak: Inspirational Entrepreneur & Philanthropist

Innovative businessman, philanthropist, aviator, collector, history enthusiast, and patron of education and ideas, Jay I. Kislak was born June 6, 1922, in Hoboken, NJ.

Mr. Kislak spent his life exploring unusual places, ideas and ventures, forging relationships and assembling extraordinary treasures, which he generously shared. His achievements encompassed many fields of endeavor – business, collecting, flying and philanthropy, to name just a few.

Entrepreneurial and driven, Mr. Kislak got his first real estate license while still a high school student at Newark Academy. He earned a degree in economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating early to serve as a Naval Aviator in World War II. Upon returning home to New Jersey in 1945, Mr. Kislak entered the family real estate business full time and made it his life’s work. He established
what would become one of the country’s largest privately held mortgage banks, originating and servicing loans nationwide for more than 40 years. Until his death at age 96, Mr. Kislak served as chairman of the Kislak Organization, which today focuses on real estate investment and brokerage.

While building a successful business enterprise, Mr. Kislak also created a cultural and historic legacy – unique collections of rare books, maps, manuscripts, paintings, and artifacts. Mr. Kislak may not have envisioned such grand distinction when he began collecting, in the early 1950s, soon after his move to Florida.

He started modestly, buying old maps to decorate the walls of his office. A lover of books and libraries, he explored bookshops and galleries specializing in old and rare editions, particularly books related to Florida. Slowly, he started acquiring important volumes of literature and history. In his typical fashion, he kept studying and asking questions.

In his more than 60 years of collecting, Mr. Kislak assembled one of the world’s most significant private holdings of materials related to the early Americas. He also established the nonprofit Jay I. Kislak Foundation for the conservation and study of materials related to the cultures and history of the early Americas.

In 2004 Mr. Kislak donated more than 4,000 items from the collection to the Library of Congress. This extraordinary gift to the American people is now on permanent display and features one of Mr. Kislak’s greatest acquisitions – the 1516 Carta Marina Navigatoria, the first printed navigational map of the world by the celebrated German mapmaker, Martin Waldseemüller.

Through a landmark gift in 2017, Mr. Kislak and his family established two permanent South Florida homes for his internationally significant collection – Kislak Centers at the University of Miami and Miami Dade College Freedom Tower.

The Kislak Family Foundation also established Kislak Centers at the University of Pennsylvania, and at Monmouth University (NJ), and supports programs at Florida State University Real Estate Center, the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, and other institutions.

In honor of Mr. Kislak and all World War II veterans, the Kislak Family Foundation made a leadership gift to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum to support the creation of the Jay I. Kislak World War II in the Air Gallery, anticipated to open in 2025 in Washington, DC.

Into the final decade of his life, Mr. Kislak’s energy, memory and physical bearing were remarkable. He never lost his genuine sense of curiosity, constantly asking questions, interested in learning more, embarking on new explorations, and seeking new gems for his collections.

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  • The Collection of Jay I. Kislak sold to benefit the Kislak Family Foundation

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