156 home explaining, “I was selling it to someone and got so excited I sold it to myself.” In their close circle of friends were some dealers, Leonard Kahan among them, but most were actors, musicians, diplomats, anthropologists, and artists. Segy traded African art for sketches with his friend Jacques Lipchitz. They knew Louise Nevelson and Arman, Burle Marx, and other Brazilian artists. Having met him in 1968, Segy encouraged Pascal Imperato to publish his research on the art of Mali, especially that of the Bambara. Besides Africa, they traveled to Peru, Chile, and Easter Island. They enjoyed thirty very happy years together. She was devastated when Segy died. The collection of modern art he had amassed in Paris was auctioned, but Helena Segy, New York, 2007. Photo: Hendrik Smildiger. she kept the African art. Segy’s library and archives went to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, his collection of Shango cult objects to the Museum of the White Fathers in New Jersey, and most of their Peruvian textiles to the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. A collector had placed himself in a role to protect her against the inevitable predators after Segy’s death, but a contested transaction soured their relationship, leading to a confrontation at a Manhattan cocktail party that is memorable in the art world. Unfailingly elegant and poised, Helena was also never afraid to speak her mind, whether expressing her informed views on art or counseling her many friends about the value of true love, something her relationship with Lotzi had made her an expert on. After being with us for a century, she departed on April 14, and her absence is already deeply felt. Hermione Waterfield Barbara Kerr The community of Pre-Columbian scholars, collectors, and students mourn the passing of Barbara Kerr. The long-time partner of Justin Kerr, Barbara was an integral part of Kerr Associates, known for their groundbreaking photography work and their photographic archive, mayavase.com, which encompassed the original Maya Vase Books and the Pre- Columbian Portfolio. Barbara, who studied design at the Pratt Institute in New York, will be remembered for her acute aesthetic eye, practical sensibility, and generous, warmhearted spirit. Barbara and Justin married in 1950 and embarked on careers in photography that initially covered New York theater, fashion, and commercial advertising. A trip to Mexico in 1959 changed their lives. After visiting Chichen Itza, Barbara recounted, “I can’t even explain it but something came over both of us at the same time.” By 1970 they were working exclusively with ancient art, studying and photographing Pre-Columbian art with a specific focus on Maya art. Their unique collaboration combined photography, design, and research, which led them to work with important museum and private collections throughout the US. Barbara also undertook restoration and developed a skill at reconstructing Maya vases with a particular interest in the hand of the ancient artist. She was a regular participant and advisor at the Austin Maya vase workshops, where she devoted much of her time to students, pointing out the subtle elements of the glyphic and figural styles. As Michael Coe has said, “Barbara Kerr was not only a loyal friend and nurturer to a generation of my students and colleagues, but also a serious researcher into how ancient Maya artists and scribes produced their masterpieces.” Barbara and Justin opened their home and extended their friendship and research to the foremost scholars as often as they did to students or keen new collectors. Her elegant personal style and sharp observations will be greatly missed. Stacy Goodman IN tribute Helena Segy “It is gorgeous!” A typical exclamation used by Helena, it expressed her boundless appreciation and passion for all things. Always impeccably dressed, she was sensitive to people and anyone who met her could not help but be impressed by her charm, wit, and joie de vivre. Helena Muniz de Souza was born to wealthy parents in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1914. A gifted piano player and interested in all of the arts, she married an architect, Henrique Mindlin. He persuaded Alexander Calder to visit Brazil, where Helena met him and became a good friend. Collectors would later consult her to authenticate his works. The marriage was not a happy one. After their breakup, she opened a modern furniture design business. She then met the love of her life, African art dealer and scholar Ladislas Segy. Hungarian by birth, Segy went to Paris to become a painter but was captivated by the African art he saw there. He moved to New York in 1936 to open the only gallery dedicated exclusively to African art, and he also lectured and wrote articles and books on the subject. He wanted everyone to share in his enthusiasm. Segy was on his way to Argentina to give a series of lectures, when he made a stop in São Paulo and met Helena. She totally captivated him, so much so that he cancelled his trip to return to São Paulo to propose to her. She recognized that they shared something special, so some days later she flew to join him in New York, went to El Paso to obtain a divorce, and on 23 February 1957, she married her Lotzi. Helena did not work in the gallery, but Lotzi would bring some objects Barbara Kerr, Quiahuiztlan, Mexico, 1975.
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