BY ALBERT CHEN

In a landmark auction event, a medallion featuring the original mold used in Alexander Fleming’s groundbreaking discovery of penicillin sold for a record $76,000 at Bonhams History of Science and Technology sale in New York on October 23. The medallion, one of a select few made by Fleming himself, was inscribed with the words: “The mould that first made penicillin / Alexander Fleming.”

This sale set a new auction record for a Fleming mold medallion, surpassing a previous sale of a similar medallion in 2016, which sold for $46,000

The medallion was one of several created by Fleming as tokens of his discovery, a breakthrough that would change the course of modern medicine. Most of these medallions were gifted to prominent figures of the time, such as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt.

According to Darren Sutherland, Bonhams’ Senior Specialist of Fine Books and Manuscripts, “Fleming’s discovery of penicillin changed the course of human history—furnishing medicine with the ability to completely cure many diseases and infections. As part of one of the most important medical advancements, which has saved an incalculable number of lives, it’s no wonder that this sample of Fleming’s wonder drug attracted global interest and set a new record.”

The Discovery That Changed Medicine Forever

The story of penicillin began in 1928 when Alexander Fleming, a Scottish bacteriologist, accidentally discovered the antibiotic properties of mold. After returning from a vacation, Fleming noticed that a petri dish in his laboratory, which he had left out, had developed a mold that killed surrounding bacteria. This mold, later identified as Penicillium notatum, was found to secrete a substance that inhibited the growth of bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause serious infections in humans. Fleming named this substance “penicillin,” setting the stage for what would become one of the most significant medical discoveries of the 20th century.

Fleming’s initial work laid the foundation, but it would take over a decade before penicillin could be effectively used in medical treatments. Fleming, while convinced of penicillin’s potential, faced challenges in isolating and producing the drug in large quantities. It wasn’t until World War II, when the urgent need for effective treatments for infected wounds became paramount, that a team of scientists, including Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain, succeeded in developing a method to mass-produce penicillin. With funding from the U.S. and British governments, these efforts transformed penicillin into a drug capable of treating soldiers on the frontlines and patients around the world.

A Legacy of Life-Saving Impact

The widespread use of penicillin changed the face of medicine, ushering in the age of antibiotics and saving countless lives. Penicillin enabled doctors to treat infections that were once deadly, including pneumonia, scarlet fever, and sepsis. This breakthrough has since paved the way for the development of other antibiotics, transforming healthcare by significantly reducing mortality rates from bacterial infections.

Fleming’s work earned him a Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1945, shared with Florey and Chain, for their collaborative efforts in the development and production of penicillin. Fleming remained humble about his discovery, often emphasizing that it was a matter of chance. He cautioned against the misuse of antibiotics, foreseeing the potential for antibiotic resistance—a reality that has become an increasing concern in modern healthcare.

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The Othmar Huber Collection at the Albertina

From 8 November 2024 to 9 February 2025, the Albertina exhibits the art collection of Swiss ophthalmologist Othmar Huber (1892, Aargau – 1979, Glarus, Switzerland)

Source: Albertina, Vienna · Image: August Macke, “The Port of Duisburg”, 1914 · Museum of Fine Arts Berne, Othmar Huber Foundation.

The art collection of Swiss ophthalmologist Othmar Huber (1892, Aargau – 1979, Glarus, Switzerland) reflects the collector’s life and passions. Against the backdrop of his medical training and experiences in a wartime field hospital, Huber was inspired by Paul Klee’s statement that “art … makes visible.”

As an experimental collector, Othmar Huber was quick to recognize the qualities of artists whose works had not yet become expensive brand name items. He thus acquired pictures by Klee and Kandinsky, Jawlensky, and Werefkin as early as the 1930s.

1939 saw the “Verwertungsstelle” of Germany’s National Socialist regime offer “degenerate art” for sale in an auction entitled “Modern Masters from German Museums” at Galerie Fischer in Lucerne. Huber feared that the Nazis would destroy those works that could not be sold, which did indeed come to pass later on. To fund his purchases of “degenerate art” by Marc, Macke, and Picasso, Huber had to sell the lion’s share of his existing collection: “What I continually gave away in exchange would hardly have made a worse collection than the present one.” His decisions were always spontaneous: “Whenever I hesitated in front of a picture and asked myself how I’d be able to pay for it or where I’d want to hang it, I knew it wasn’t a strong artwork.”

Shortly prior to his death in 1979, Huber established a foundation to which he transferred the works he had collected—and the paintings now exhibited here, normally kept at the Museum of Fine Arts Berne and Kunsthaus Glarus, are on loan from this Othmar Huber Foundation.

Since 2020, the Othmar Huber Collection has enriched the permanent exhibition Monet to Picasso. The Batliner Collection by 15 selected works, rounding out the existing presentation by high-caliber key works of modernism. The exhibition The Huber Collection now provides an opportunity to view the entire range of works acquired by this experimental collector. Curators: Constanze Malissa, Matthias Frehner.

La colección Othmar Huber en el Albertina

Del 8 de noviembre de 2024 al 9 de febrero de 2025, el Albertina expone la colección de arte del oftalmólogo suizo Othmar Huber (1892, Argovia – 1979, Glaris, Suiza)

Fuente: Albertina, Viena · Imagen: August Macke, “El puerto de Duisburg”, 1914 · Museo de Bellas Artes de Berna, Fundación Othmar Huber.

La colección de arte del oftalmólogo suizo Othmar Huber (1892, Argovia – 1979, Glaris, Suiza) refleja la vida y las pasiones del coleccionista. En el contexto de su formación médica y sus experiencias en un hospital de campaña en tiempos de guerra, Huber se inspiró en la afirmación de Paul Klee de que «el arte… hace visible».

Como coleccionista experimental, Othmar Huber reconoció rápidamente las cualidades de artistas cuyas obras aún no se habían convertido en artículos de marca caros. Así adquirió cuadros de Klee y Kandinsky, Jawlensky y Werefkin ya en los años treinta.

En 1939, la “Verwertungsstelle” del régimen nacionalsocialista de Alemania puso a la venta “arte degenerado” en una subasta titulada “Maestros modernos de los museos alemanes” en la Galerie Fischer de Lucerna. Huber temía que los nazis destruyeran aquellas obras que no pudieran venderse, lo que efectivamente sucedió más tarde. Para financiar sus compras de “arte degenerado” de Marc, Macke y Picasso, Huber tuvo que vender la mayor parte de su colección existente: “Lo que continuamente regalaba a cambio difícilmente habría formado una colección peor que la actual”. Sus decisiones siempre fueron espontáneas: “Cada vez que dudaba frente a un cuadro y me preguntaba cómo podría pagarlo o dónde querría colgarlo, sabía que no era una obra de arte fuerte”.

Poco antes de su muerte en 1979, Huber creó una fundación a la que transfirió las obras que había coleccionado, y las pinturas que ahora se exhiben aquí, normalmente conservadas en el Museo de Bellas Artes de Berna y Kunsthaus Glarus, son préstamos de esta Fundación Othmar Huber. .

Desde 2020, la Colección Othmar Huber enriquece la exposición permanente De Monet a Picasso. La Colección Batliner con 15 obras seleccionadas, que completan la presentación existente con obras clave del modernismo de alto calibre. La exposición The Huber Collection ofrece ahora la oportunidad de ver toda la gama de obras adquiridas por este coleccionista experimental. Curadores: Constanze Malissa, Matthias Frehner.

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