my backstory - part 1

Back story (part 1) ... I come from a long line of art collectors, art dealers, and creative people. Starting with my great grandparents who were Asian art collectors and dealers beginning in the late 1800's, the Bentz family.

The four brothers, Nathan, Oscar, Phillip, and my maternal Great Grandfather, John Bentz were specialized in both Japanese and Chinese art. They traveled extensively in both Japan and China seeking artifacts for their many collectors such as Avery Brundage, who had one of the largest collections now housed in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, CA.

They had a home in Shanghai where my grandmother Marion (b. 1904) was partially raised as a young girl until she got sick with malaria. They left Shanghai circa 1918.

Here is a photo from the late 1800's, buying silk robes.

*From an upcoming publication.