The Frank Bensow Collection - Part III

Stockholms Auktionsverk is delighted to present a selection of more than one hundred museum-quality Old Master engravings, woodcuts, and etchings, spanning the 16th to the 19th century from the collection of the renowned Swedish print collector Frank Bensow (1883-1969).

The Bensow Collection will be offered as an online auction ending 29 March 2026 and is available to preview in person during an exhibition at Stockholms Auktionsverk, Magasin 1, Södra Hamnvägen 8, Stockholm, from 19 to 29 March.

Frank Bensow was born in Göteborg and was a distinguished civil engineer as well as a major in the Swedish Army, serving in the Road and Waterway Construction Service Corps. He amassed his collection of more than eight hundred sheets of Old Master prints over several decades. Bensow assembled an encyclopedic collection, not unusual for connoisseurs like himself during the early to mid-20th century golden age of print collecting. His acquisitions devote particular attention to many of the important artistic movements of the centuries that the collection spans as well as the key artists and schools of each era.

The Frank Bensow Collection is an outstanding example of Old Master print connoisseurship, a comprehensive overview of five centuries of art history, with multiple highlights that showcase significant printmaking achievements. Bensow’s collection conveys a strong awareness of printmaking history and a thorough knowledge of the techniques of engraving, etching, and woodcut. He was a collector who acquired the fundamental prints that formed many collections like his during the early to mid-20th century as well as prints that were by little known or lesser appreciated artists. These once unfamiliar graphic works are equally as thrilling as the cornerstone Old Master showpieces. Bensow’s keen eye, along with his ability at locating the best and earliest impressions, and his originality in exploring areas of the Old Master field that were then under-appreciated profoundly aided him in assembling one of Sweden’s most exceptional print collections of the past century.

Stockholms Auktionsverk is grateful to specialist Todd Weyman for cataloguing and expertise in bringing The Bensow Collection to auction. For nearly three decades Todd Weyman was the Vice President and Director of Prints and Drawings at Swann Auction Galleries, New York, and is among the leading international print specialists. He is a featured appraiser and prints expert on the American version of the Antiques Roadshow and is now based full-time in Stockholm.

Online auction: Sunday 29 March at 18.00 (CETS)
Viewing: 19 – 29 March at Magasin 1, Södra Hamnvägen 8, Stockholm, Sweden