William Smith Auctions

Join us for a 20th Century design live auction highlighting the Estate of Ilse Bischoff (1901–1990), celebrated artist and illustrator, who filled her Hartland, Vermont home with a fabulous collection of 18th Century European antiques. Her collection later expanded under Timotheus Pohl (1939–2024), former President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz North America, and an avid collector of contemporary art. Her Hartland house became a fantastic example of the success in mixing European antiques with contemporary art, a decorative style that many collectors can take inspiration from today.

Ilse Bischoff (1901-1990) was an artist and book illustrator. Born in New York City to German parents, Bischoff went to art school in Europe and later lived in Manhattan pursuing the artist’s life. At the commencement of WWII in Europe, she bought a brick Federal house in Hartland, Vermont to summer in. The house had originally been built in the 1820s for Isaac Newton Cushman (1788-1843), a lawyer from Southern Vermont. It was likely designed by New England architect Asher Benjamin or a follower. She became part of a group of New York City artists who summered in Hartland, including Jared French, Paul Cadmus, and George Tooker, and some of their pieces appeared in her collection.

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