Georges Wildenstein
Encyclopedia
Georges Wildenstein was a French gallery owner, art collector, editor and art historian.
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 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 'aryanised'. 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.
Tragically, his legacy lives on with his successors so in awe of his reputation that they cannot accept scientific facts that prove him in error. This has been shown in a recent BBC expose of their obduracy.
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 in the Franco-Prussian WarFranco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
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
Rue La Boétie
The rue La Boétie is a street in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, running from rue d'Astorg to avenue des Champs-Élysées.Number 45 is the location of the Salle Gaveau, a 1020-seat concert hall built in 1905-1906 by the architect Jacques Hermant, for the piano manufacturer Gaveau....
, 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 and he also opened a gallery on New Bond Street in London. He edited the Gazette des Beaux-Arts
Gazette des Beaux-Arts
The Gazette des Beaux-Arts was a French art review, found in 1859 by Édouard Houssaye, with Charles Blanc as its first chief editor. It was a world reference work on art history for nearly 100 years - one other editor in chief, from 1955 to 1987, was Jean Adhémar...
review founded by Charles Blanc
Charles Blanc
Charles Blanc was a French art critic, brother of Louis Blanc. After the February Revolution of 1848, he was director of the department for the visual arts at the ministry of the interior...
, 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 'aryanised'. 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
Académie des beaux-arts
The Académie des Beaux-Arts is a French learned society. It is one of the five academies of the Institut de France.It was created in 1795 as the merger of the:* Académie de peinture et de sculpture...
, succeeding Paul Léon - Malraux's father André Malraux voted against his election. His son Daniel Wildenstein
Daniel Wildenstein
Daniel Leopold Wildenstein was a French art dealer and scholar, as well as a leading thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder....
took over as head of the gallery and editor of the Gazette des Beaux-Arts.
Tragically, his legacy lives on with his successors so in awe of his reputation that they cannot accept scientific facts that prove him in error. This has been shown in a recent BBC expose of their obduracy.