Georges Wildenstein

Georges Wildenstein (16 March 1892 – 11 June 1963) was a French gallery owner, art dealer, art collector, editor and art historian.

Georges Wildenstein
Georges Wildenstein (right) and his father, Nathan. (1908)
Born(1892-03-16)16 March 1892
Paris, France
Died11 June 1963(1963-06-11) (aged 71)
Paris, France
NationalityFrench
ChildrenDaniel Wildenstein

Life

Georges' father was Nathan Wildenstein, who came from a family of Jewish cattle-dealers but had in 1870 left Alsace aged twenty 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.

In 1905 he set up a gallery, Rue La Boétie, and a stable of racing horses. Georges began work at his father's gallery and became interested in Picasso's paintings and a friend of Monet. Nathan bought Georges a separate business at 21 rue de la Boétie where Georges was a partner of dealer Paul Rosenberg who represented Picasso, and he 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. Specialising 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, with their Paris gallery "aryanized". After the war Georges was accused of theft and trading with the Nazis[1] but the family fought and refuted the action brought against them by Daniel Malraux.[2]

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.

See also

References
  1. "Une trouble histoire de l'art. L'historien Feliciano accuse le marchand Wildenstein de collaboration. , 13 May 1999
  2. "La famille Wildenstein déboutée. Elle attaquait un historien ayant suggéré des liens entre le marchand d'art et les nazis" , 24 June 1999
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