| Georges Wildenstein | |
|---|---|
 Georges Wildenstein (right) and his father, Nathan. (1908) | |
| Born | Georges Lazare Wildenstein (1892-03-16)16 March 1892 Paris, France |
| Died | 11 June 1963(1963-06-11) (aged 71) Paris, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Spouse | Jeanne Lévy |
| Children | 2, including Daniel |
| Relatives | Guy and Alec Wildenstein (grandsons) |
Georges Lazare Wildenstein (16 March 1892 – 11 June 1963) was a French gallery owner, art dealer, art collector, editor and art historian.
Life
Georges was born on March 16, 1892 to Laure (née Lévy) and Nathan Wildenstein. Nathan came from a family of Jewish cattle-dealers, but in 1870, at age 20, left Alsace, when it was annexed by the German Empire in the Franco-Prussian War, and moved to Paris. There, he based himself in a tailor's house and served as an intermediary for a client who was selling paintings. He had a sister, Elisabeth Wildenstein Paraf, and a brother, Paul-Lazare Wildenstein.
In 1905, he set up a gallery on Rue La Boétie, as well as a stable of racing horses. Georges began work at his father's gallery and developed an interest in Pablo Picasso's paintings and a friendship with Claude Monet. Nathan bought Georges a separate business at 21 rue de la Boétie, where Georges partnered with art dealer Paul Rosenberg, who represented Picasso. Georges also opened a gallery on New Bond Street in London.
He edited the Gazette des Beaux-Arts review founded by Charles Blanc, and founded the revue Arts himself. Specializing in French paintings, he published several works on French art and wrote catalogues raisonné of the works of Gauguin and Chardin.
The family was stripped of French nationality in 1940 and fled to the United States, as their Paris gallery was "aryanized.".After the war, Georges was accused of theft and trading with the Nazis, but the family fought and refuted the action brought against them by Daniel Malraux.
In 1963, he was elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts, succeeding Paul Léon. Malraux's father André Malraux voted against his election. His son Daniel Wildenstein took over as head of the gallery and editor of the Gazette des Beaux-Arts.
He was married to Jeanne "Jane" Lévy and had two children Daniel Wildenstein and Miriam Wildenstein Pereire.
References
- "Une trouble histoire de l'art. L'historien Feliciano accuse le marchand Wildenstein de collaboration., 13 May 1999
- "La famille Wildenstein déboutée. Elle attaquait un historien ayant suggéré des liens entre le marchand d'art et les nazis", 24 June 1999
- Corbett, Rachel (23 August 2023). "The Inheritance Case That Could Unravel an Art Dynasty". The New York Times.
- Korman, Murray (4 June 1946). "MISS WILDENSTEIN MARRIED AT HOME; Daughter of Art Critic Wed to Gerard R. Pereire, Veteran of French and U.S. Armies". The New York Times.
- "Roosevelt Island Historical Society » Wednesday, February 17, 2021 – the rich and famous proved a great address did not make a great marriage".
Further reading
- Robson, A. Deirdre (1996). "Wildenstein". In Turner, Jane (ed.). The Dictionary of Art. Vol. 33. New York: Grove's Dictionaries. pp. 182–183. ISBN 1-884446-00-0. OCLC 1033647897 – via the Internet Archive.
External links
- 1998 Vanity Fair article about Wildenstein Archived 2014-10-15 at the Wayback Machine