The Ackermans

Martin S. Ackerman was a lawyer whose career was in mergers and acquisitions. He lived in London, where Sonya Redway Reading was purchased, in the mid-1970's. At the time he was practicing law, as well as publishing Arts Review magazine and founding Eaton House Publishers. However, when he purchased the painting (in 1984) he had relocated to New York. He bought it from the Christies studio sale in London, which auctioned Hepworth's estate. At the auction many paintings and drawings were purchased by Mr. Ackerman and these works were shipped from London to his home in New York. Mr. Ackerman passed away on August 2nd, 1993 and his wife, Mrs. Diane Ackerman, inherited the paintings, including Sonya Redway Reading. Although no longer in existence, the Martin S. Ackerman Foundation provided many small colleges and museums with works of art. His family attests that through the collection he donated millions of dollars of art, although Hepworth's painting was not among these.

Sources:

Lambert, Bruce. "Martin Ackerman, 61, Publisher; Closed The Saturday Evening Post." The New York Times. The New York Times, 03 Aug. 1993. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.

"MARTIN S. ACKERMAN." New York Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.