Daniel Wildenstein
| Daniel L. Wildenstein | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Daniel Leopold Wildenstein 11 September 1917 Paris, France |
| Died | 23 October 2001 (aged 84) Paris, France |
| Occupation | art dealer, racehorse owner and breeder |
| Known for | Owner of Wildenstein & Co. |
| Spouse(s) |
Martine Kapferer (m. 1939) Sylvia Roth (m. 1978) |
| Children |
Guy Wildenstein Alec N. Wildenstein |
Daniel Leopold Wildenstein (11 September 1917 – 23 October 2001) was an art dealer, historian and owner-breeder of thoroughbred race horses. He was the third member of the family to preside over Wildenstein & Co., one of the most successful and influential art-dealerships of the 20th century. He was once described as "probably the richest and most powerful art dealer on earth".
Wildenstein was born in Verrières-le-Buisson, Essonne, just outside Paris. He was educated at Cours Hattemer and at the University of Paris, graduating in 1938 and going on to study at the École du Louvre.
Wildenstein's grandfather, Nathan Wildenstein, established an art dealership on the Rue La Boétie in Paris after fleeing his native Alsace during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71. He first specialised in 18th-century French painting and sculpture, later expanding to Italian, Dutch, Flemish and Spanish art. Although he had been working in a tailor's shop when he began to trade in art he proved extremely successful, selling to European collectors such as Edmond James de Rothschild and later to Americans such as J. P. Morgan, Henry Clay Frick, and to the Kress, Rockefeller, and Mellon families. He opened a New York gallery in 1903 and one in London in 1925.
The Wildensteins gained a reputation as shrewd businessmen, stockpiling works to maximise their profits when released onto the market. Nathan built a huge inventory of European Old Master paintings, sculpture, drawings, furniture and decorative objects, to which Daniel's father, Georges, added Impressionist and Postimpressionist works. In 1978 Wildenstein & Co's New York storeroom included 20 Renoirs, 25 Courbets, 10 Van Goghs, 10 Cezannes, 10 Gauguins, 2 Boticellis, 8 Rembrandts, 8 Rubens, 9 El Grecos and 5 Tintorettos among a total inventory of 10,000 paintings. The secrecy attached to these holdings led to a great deal of interest and speculation in the art world.
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