Sylvio Perlstein, the Belgian art collector and jeweller, died at age 94 in Antwerp, where he was born in 1931. A third-generation gem-cutter from a diamond dynasty, he fled the Nazis with his Jewish family to Brazil as an infant, reinventing himself as "Sylvio." His collecting began as an adolescent in Rio, where he bought a strange painting from a florist. Over decades, he amassed a major collection of 20th-century avant-garde art, befriending artists like Man Ray and Yves Klein, and acquiring works by René Magritte, Marcel Broodthaers, and Pablo Picasso. He was known for his discerning eye, seeking works that were "esquisito"—weird, strange, and different—rather than conventionally beautiful.
Perlstein's death marks the passing of one of the last great collectors who lived through the defining moments of modern art and built personal relationships with its stars. His collection, which included a wall of 100 photographs by Man Ray, reflects a deeply personal, instinctive approach to collecting that prioritized idiosyncratic taste over market trends. His life story—spanning Europe, Brazil, and New York—embodies the transatlantic networks that shaped the 20th-century art world, making his legacy significant for understanding the history of avant-garde collecting and the role of the collector as a cultural bridge.