Rediscovered Treasures: The León Chattah Collection of Modern Japanese Prints

The exhibition includes a group of seventy works by 20th century shin hanga masters from the ‘hidden’ collection of León Chattah (1934-2025). The entire collection was acquired (purportedly all at once), from Abraham & Rachel Bornstein, the proprietors of the Boston Book and Art Shop, which specialized in distributing books from leading European publishers, as well as independently publishing fine books, art portfolios and monographs.

Dr. Chattah, a Sephardic immigrant from Argentina, was an avid art student and budding collector. His children recall weekend road trips from New York to Boston, to look at art. Under Mr. Bornstein’s keen eye and guidance, Dr. Chattah was able to begin a modest collection, stored in closets from home to new home.

This collection of prints was only recently rediscovered by Chattah’s family, having been tucked away in the back of a closet in a New York City apartment since the early 1980s. Nearly fifty years later, from the back of a wardrobe, we present these rediscovered treasures!

For the duration of the exhibition, September 10 – 18, the gallery will be open with appointments appreciated, 11am – 5 pm; otherwise by appointment through October 3rd.

In-person viewing: Scholten Japanese Art, 145 West 58th Street, suite 6D, New York, New York 10019