Collector Tina Hills.
24 March 2026
This spring, Phillips will offer A Life in Color: Property from the Estate of Tina Hills across a series of auctions in New York from April through September. Hills, an influential figure in Miami and beyond, helped shape the city’s cultural landscape through decades of civic engagement and philanthropy. In 1977, she became the first woman to lead the Inter‑American Press Association, advancing its mission to protect freedom of the press throughout the Americas. Alongside her second husband, Lee Hills — the editor who guided the Miami Herald to its first Pulitzer Prize — she assembled a far‑reaching collection defined by expressive color and dynamic compositions.
Joan Mitchell, Plain, 1989. Offered in the Evening Sale of Modern & Contemporary Art, 19 May 2026. Estimate: $5,000,000–7,000,000.
This vision is embodied most prominently in Joan Mitchell’s Plain from 1989. A work from the final and most distilled phase of Mitchell’s career, Plain embodies her powerful synthesis of gesture and remembered landscape. Spanning a monumental diptych nearly six feet wide, the canvas translates the sensations of the French countryside around Vétheuil into lyrical tangles of brushwork and radiant fields of color. Acquired from the Robert Miller Gallery, the painting remained in the Hills’ collection for nearly four decades and now appears at auction for the first time in the Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale on 19 May in New York, alongside other major works by Helen Frankenthaler and Adolph Gottlieb. Additional works will appear in the April Editions & Works on Paper auctions — including color‑rich prints by Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, and others — as well as subsequent Modern & Contemporary Art sales in May and July, the June Jewels and Design sales, and September Design Online.
Tina Hills’ Legacy
The Family of Tina Hills stated, “Tina was a pioneer in every facet of her life and consistently broke through the expectations placed on women of her generation. From her remarkable career in publishing — including her tenure as the first female President of the Inter-American Press Association — to her philanthropic work across Puerto Rico and Miami, she brought a brilliant mind, deep curiosity, and effortless grace to everything she did. A passionate collector of art across mediums and periods, her home reflected a lifetime of curiosity, discernment, and joy in discovery. We are honored to work with Phillips to share her extraordinary collection and to celebrate the lasting legacy of a woman whose vision and generosity touched so many.”
Adolph Gottlieb, Black Sparks, 1965. Offered in the Evening Sale of Modern & Contemporary Art, 19 May 2026. Estimate: $1,000,000–1,500,000.
Vivian Pfeiffer, Phillips’ Deputy Chairman, Senior International Specialist, New Markets, said, “Tina Hills remains a deeply respected figure in Miami, remembered for the civic presence and generosity that helped shape the cultural fabric of the city. Her decades‑long commitment is still evident today, from her support of the Pérez Art Museum Miami to the pavilion that bears her name in Bayfront Park. Alongside her public life, she was an avid collector with an eye for bold, expressive canvases by Post‑War figures such as Joan Mitchell, Adolph Gottlieb, and Helen Frankenthaler, and she brought that same discernment to design, assembling exceptional works by artists including William Morris, Dale Chihuly, Toots Zynsky, and Jon Kuhn. It is a profound honor for Phillips — and for me personally — to be entrusted with presenting Ms. Hills’ collection this season, containing many artworks which will be seen for the first time in decades while the pre-sale exhibitions are on view in Phillips’ New York galleries.”
Helen Frankenthaler, Paloverde, 1978. Offered in the Evening Sale of Modern & Contemporary Art, 19 May 2026. Estimate: $600,000–800,000.
David Lawrence Jr., Former Publisher of the Miami Herald and Chair of The Children’s Movement of Florida, added, “I met Tina Hills more than a half-century ago. She swept into the room — the most elegant person I have ever known. Great taste in every way. You saw it in her home, her art and, most of all, in herself. A major leader in journalism and so much more. I give Tina and her legendary husband Lee much credit for my own interest in art — and my service first to the Detroit Institute of Arts and then these past 37 years at what has become the Pérez Art Museum of Miami. A great collection; most of all, a great person.”
Jesús Rafael Soto, Ambivalencia 41, 1984. Offered in the Modern & Contemporary Art Auction, 21 May 2026. Estimate: $300,000–500,000.
About Tina Hills
Argentina “Tina” Schifano was born in Pola, Istria, Italy, which is now part of Croatia. She immigrated to New York with her parents in her early teens and later studied at New York University. While working at the iconic Buitoni-Perugina company, she met publisher Angel Ramos, owner of El Mundo, Puerto Rico’s most prestigious newspaper and WKAQ Radio El Mundo. Quickly becoming immersed in the publishing world, her work reflected a deep commitment to freedom of the press. Tina became deeply involved in inter-American journalism, eventually rising to national prominence as the first woman to serve as President of the Inter-American Press Association. Following Ramos’ passing, Tina continued to guide publishing and media interests in Puerto Rico. She led a major philanthropic foundation in Angel Ramos’ name, which supports education throughout Puerto Rico.
Her later marriage to Lee Hills brought her into the center of mainland American newspaper leadership, and together, the couple played a major and vital role in supporting Miami’s cultural institutions, including efforts that shaped the early vision of what is now the Pérez Art Museum of Miami. Tina Hills also served in prominent civic and cultural positions across Miami-Dade County, with roles at the Dade County Arts Council, the Bayfront Park Management Trust, and the Florida Grand Opera. The pavilion at Bayfront Park bears her name, honoring her decades of dedicated service to the city.
Sam Francis, Comet (SF85-178), 1985. Offered in the Modern & Contemporary Art Auction, 21 May 2026. Estimate: $150,000–200,000.
Auctions
New York Auctions Presenting A Life in Color: Property from the Estate of Tina Hills:
MODERNISM: Editions & Works on Paper
23 April 2026
Editions & Works on Paper
23–24 April 2026
Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale
19 May 2026
Modern & Contemporary Art
21 May 2026
New York Jewels: Online Auction
June 2026
The New York Jewels Auction
11 June 2026
Design
12 June 2026
Modern & Contemporary Art
16 July 2026
Design Online Auction
1–8 September 2026