Leslie Sacks

Sacks was born to a Jewish family[3] in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1952,[2][4] the second of three children born to Lithuanian Jewish immigrants.[5][6] His father was South African businessman Wolfe Harry Sacks.[4][7] His sister Caron Sacks is married to Israeli politician Ze'ev Bielski,[7] and is the mother of actress Adi Bielski. His brother Rodney Sacks is the co-founder of Monster Beverage.[4]

Sacks graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand with a degree in psychology and computer science.[2] While in college, he fought against apartheid.[3]

In 1981, he opened his first art gallery, Les Art, in South Africa. In 1991, he moved to Los Angeles and opened Leslie Sacks Fine Art in Brentwood, California.[1] In 2007, he purchased the Bobbie Greenfield Gallery at Bergamot Station, renaming it Leslie Sacks Contemporary. His specialities were African tribal art, post-war artists, and contemporary artists including Andy Warhol and Robert Motherwell.[1] His collection of African art was published in Refined Eye, Passionate Heart - African Art from the Leslie Sacks Collection by Skira.[5]

In 2010, Sacks founded and funded Women's Voices Now, a charity dedicated to "empowering women living in Muslim-majority societies by promoting their free expression, thereby giving voice to the struggles for civil, economic, political, and gender rights".[2] He was an ardent supporter of the state of Israel.[5] Sacks produced a documentary about his father, South Africa businessman Wolfe Harry Sacks.[4]

Sacks died of cancer on September 26, 2013.[1] He was survived by his wife Gina Brourman-Sacks, an immigrant from South Korea.[8] He has two sons and two stepsons.[1] His wife succeeded him as board chair of Women's Voices Now.[2]