The ADAA Art Show: Siri von Reis Tribute Booth

Siri Sylvia Patricia von Reis (born on February 10, 1931) was an ethnobotanist, researcher, poet, and art collector. She earned a bachelor’s degree in botany from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1953, a master’s degree in biology in 1957 and a PhD in 1961, both from Harvard University. Between 1962 and 1972, she was a research fellow at the Harvard Botanical Museum, as well as working part time as a fashion model.

In June of 1963, von Reis married Arthur G. Altschul (1920–2002), a member of the prominent Lehman banking family. Altschul was a philanthropist, art collector, partner at Goldman Sachs Group, and chairman of the board at General American Investors Company, Inc. Before their divorce in 1972, Altshcul and von Reis had three children: Arthur Jr., Emily Helen, and Serena.

As a scientist, von Reis is known for her work with hallucinogenic plants. She also collected, categorized, and published information from thousands of dried plant specimens from the herbaria of Harvard University and the New York Botanical Garden. In 1983, she received the Distinguished Service Award from the latter. As a poet, von Reis authored The Love-Suicides at Sonezaki and Other Poems (Zoo Press, 2001). She was passionate and deeply knowledgeable about classical music, opera, art, and life.

Frank Maresca recounts:

“When I first met Siri, her primary area of interest was Haitian art, she had also begun acquiring African American quilts. Over time, the collection grew and evolved just as her life did—as the life of any thinking and feeling person would. She not only built one of the premier collections of Hattian art in the country, but also a world-class collection of American self-taught, art brut, and what is popularly known as outsider art. Everything that Siri surrounded herself with had a spiritual quality; she would see a story in every work and thread it into the fabric of her life. Each piece was chosen with great care and generally ahead of its popularity. Siri was a true pioneer in this regard.  

The von Reis collection is an amalgam of everything that Siri was and everything that she loved. It reflects science, music, and literature, but above all passion. I like to say that Siri kind of floated into a room—supremely confident in who she was, with nothing to prove but eager to learn. Her presence was immediately elegant, warm, and welcoming. Siri had a beauty of presence and knowledge that never ceased to amaze me. Her enthusiasm was boundless, but it was quiet… not typical. You knew that she was excited, but it was shown in the most sensitive and restrained of ways.

I was honored to be asked to deliver Siri’s eulogy in August last year, and I am both proud and sad to be able to offer treasured works from her collection, as each one contains a memory of our great friendship. As the saying goes, we are all temporary custodians of works of art… Siri’s collection will live on through its new owners and they will become a part of the continuum.”