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Aceman, born Nov. 16, 1936, in Calgary, died Jan. 28 in Vancouver.
In an interview in 2015, Aceman said that when he looked at a work of art he had bought, “there is a whole little story that comes to my mind.
“I like having the work personalized for me by meeting many of the artists,” Aceman told The Vancouver Sun.
The collection includes paintings, prints, sculpture, installations, and video art by artists as varied as Jack Bush, Douglas Coupland, Angela Grossman, Annie Pootoogook, Pablo Picasso, and Jeff Wall.
Kate Galicz, director of Heffel’s Vancouver office, described Aceman’s collection as a diverse one spanning the range of contemporary art.
“My hope is that this sale honours Byron’s legacy and inspires a new generation of collectors,” she said. “I think that’s something Byron would be very pleased to hear.”
Some art in the auction is in the $300 to $400 range, but the majority have pre-auction estimates of $5,000 to $7,000.
A biography of Aceman accompanying the auction says that his grandfather and uncle owned a vaudeville theatre in Vancouver — the Avon on West Hastings. Later in life, Aceman became a supporter of the Arts Club Theatre company.
His grandfather collected art, including Inuit art.
Aceman worked in Morton Holdings, a family company that operated shopping centres.
“He developed a lifelong passion for collecting, particularly the work of emerging artists from the Vancouver area, acquiring works from such diverse sources as Emily Carr University’s grad shows, Jewish community centre shows, Arts Umbrella, and small artist-run centres,” according to a biography in the Byron Aceman Collection.
