Lily Safra
Encyclopedia
Lily Safra is a Brazilian-Monegasque philanthropist
and social figure who attained considerable wealth after four marriages. Her net worth is estimated at $1 billion, ranking her as the 701st richest person in the world according to Forbes
in 2009. She owns a $506 million house, "Villa Leopolda
", in the French Riviera.
, Brazil
daughter of Wolf White Watkins, a British
railway engineer who moved to South America and Annita Noudelman de Castro, a Uruguayan of Russian-Jewish ancestry. She grew up in Rio de Janeiro. At the age of 17, she married Mario Cohen, an Argentine hosiery magnate. They had three children: Claudio (died in a car crash in Brazil ca. 1989.), Eduardo, and Adriana.
Lily and Cohen divorced in the early 1960s. In 1965, she married Romania
n immigrant Alfredo "Freddy" Monteverde (formerly Greenberg), a leader in the Brazilian household appliance distribution business after establishing the Ponto Frio brand. He and Lily had one child, named Carlos. In 1969, Monteverde died by suicide. According to biographer Isabel Vincent
, Monteverde's will left all his assets to her and, in concert with Monteverde's former banker, Edmond Safra
, she took swift action to cut off the rest of his family.
Lily and Edmond Safra dated for some time, but she married a businessman named Samuel Bendahan in 1972, then divorced him after about a year of marriage.
In 1976, she married Safra, a prominent Brazil
ian-naturalized Jewish Lebanese
banker, and the founder, among other achievements, of Republic National Bank of New York. The couple divided their time between homes in Monaco
, Geneva
, New York
and Villa Leopolda
on the French Riviera
. In a crime that attracted extensive media interest, Safra was killed in a fire that was determined to be arson. Edmond Safra "apparently felt so safe here that he did not have his bodyguards stay the night when he slept in Monaco". Ted Maher's American lawyer, Michael Griffith, has said that Maher did indeed start the fire in order to gain acceptance from Mr. Safra and that "It was a stupid, most insane thing a human being could do,” says Griffith. “He did not intend to kill Mr. Safra. He just wanted Mr. Safra to appreciate him more. He loved Mr. Safra. This was the best job of his life.” Safra left 50% of his assets to several charities, with the remainder divided up between his family members and wife who received $ 800 million.
and helped the Hurricane Katrina
victims; she is on the board of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research and a member of the Chairman's Council of the Museum of Modern Art. Through the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation, she helped found the Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities at the University of Haifa. The Foundation and Mrs. Safra also helped create the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences at the Hebrew University.
Safra ensured the completion of the Edmond J. Safra Synagogue in Manhattan.
In connection with the sale of furniture and art from her collection at Sotheby’s in 2005, Mrs. Safra donated $3 million to charities in New York she and her husband had supported for many years, along with a gift to Dillard University
in New Orleans to help them rebuild after Hurricane Katrina
Sotheby's announced that an auction of Mr. and Mrs. Safra's collections, including furniture, artwork, silverware and decorative objects, took place in October 2011 in New York City
In 2009, she was honored by the Elton John AIDS Foundation
with its “An Enduring Vision” award for her long-time support
She established the Edmond J. Safra Family Lodge, for patients battling illnesses, as well as their families, at the National Institute of Health near Washington D.C.
In July 2010, Safra donated 8 million euros to the Institute for Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries in Paris.
Safra is a Patron of Hope and Homes for Children in the UK and a supporter of its work for children in Romania
L'Homme qui marche I
, a life-sized bronze sculpture of a man, was acquired by Lily Safra becoming one of the most expensive works of art and the most expensive sculpture ever when she bought it at Sotheby's
auction in London for £65 million (US$104.3 million) on February 3, 2010.
published a novel Empress Bianca
, that was declared by Safra's lawyer to be "defamatory". Reacting to legal threat the publisher, Arcadia Books, withdrew the book after its publication in the United Kingdom and destroyed its unsold copies. A revision of the book was later published in the US.
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
and social figure who attained considerable wealth after four marriages. Her net worth is estimated at $1 billion, ranking her as the 701st richest person in the world according to Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
in 2009. She owns a $506 million house, "Villa Leopolda
Villa Leopolda
Villa La Leopolda is a large villa in the French town of Villefranche-sur-Mer on the French Riviera.-History:Villa La Leopolda in it's current incarnation was designed and built from 1929 through 1931 by an American architect, Boston's Ogden Codman Jr...
", in the French Riviera.
Biography
Safra was born Lily Watkins on December 30, 1934 in Porto AlegrePorto Alegre
Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
daughter of Wolf White Watkins, a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
railway engineer who moved to South America and Annita Noudelman de Castro, a Uruguayan of Russian-Jewish ancestry. She grew up in Rio de Janeiro. At the age of 17, she married Mario Cohen, an Argentine hosiery magnate. They had three children: Claudio (died in a car crash in Brazil ca. 1989.), Eduardo, and Adriana.
Lily and Cohen divorced in the early 1960s. In 1965, she married Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n immigrant Alfredo "Freddy" Monteverde (formerly Greenberg), a leader in the Brazilian household appliance distribution business after establishing the Ponto Frio brand. He and Lily had one child, named Carlos. In 1969, Monteverde died by suicide. According to biographer Isabel Vincent
Isabel Vincent
Isabel Vincent is a Canadian investigative journalist who writes for the New York Post, an alumna of the University of Toronto Varsity newspaper, and the author of several books.-Lamont/Spencer case:...
, Monteverde's will left all his assets to her and, in concert with Monteverde's former banker, Edmond Safra
Edmond Safra
Edmond J. Safra was a Jewish Brazilian-naturalized, Lebanese banker who continued the family tradition of banking in Lebanon, Brazil and Switzerland. He married Lily Watkins. He died in a fire that attracted wide media interest and was judicially determined to be due to arson.-Life of Edmond...
, she took swift action to cut off the rest of his family.
Lily and Edmond Safra dated for some time, but she married a businessman named Samuel Bendahan in 1972, then divorced him after about a year of marriage.
In 1976, she married Safra, a prominent Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian-naturalized Jewish Lebanese
History of the Jews in Lebanon
The history of the Jews in Lebanon deals with the presence of Jews in Lebanon, which stretches back to Biblical times.-Jews in Lebanon today:Lebanese Jews are traditionally a Mizrahi community living mostly in and around Beirut...
banker, and the founder, among other achievements, of Republic National Bank of New York. The couple divided their time between homes in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
, Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Villa Leopolda
Villa Leopolda
Villa La Leopolda is a large villa in the French town of Villefranche-sur-Mer on the French Riviera.-History:Villa La Leopolda in it's current incarnation was designed and built from 1929 through 1931 by an American architect, Boston's Ogden Codman Jr...
on the French Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
. In a crime that attracted extensive media interest, Safra was killed in a fire that was determined to be arson. Edmond Safra "apparently felt so safe here that he did not have his bodyguards stay the night when he slept in Monaco". Ted Maher's American lawyer, Michael Griffith, has said that Maher did indeed start the fire in order to gain acceptance from Mr. Safra and that "It was a stupid, most insane thing a human being could do,” says Griffith. “He did not intend to kill Mr. Safra. He just wanted Mr. Safra to appreciate him more. He loved Mr. Safra. This was the best job of his life.” Safra left 50% of his assets to several charities, with the remainder divided up between his family members and wife who received $ 800 million.
Philanthropy and art collection
Safra supports numerous foundations, organizations, and charities. Together with Edmond Safra and Nina Weiner, Safra founded the International Sephardic Education Foundation in 1977. She chairs The Edmond J. Safra Foundation and which supports medical research and humanitarian relief. The Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics has been established at Harvard, most recently she donated over $12 million to create a cross-disciplinary research laboratory on institutional corruption. She supports the American Red CrossAmerican Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
and helped the Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
victims; she is on the board of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research and a member of the Chairman's Council of the Museum of Modern Art. Through the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation, she helped found the Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities at the University of Haifa. The Foundation and Mrs. Safra also helped create the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences at the Hebrew University.
Safra ensured the completion of the Edmond J. Safra Synagogue in Manhattan.
In connection with the sale of furniture and art from her collection at Sotheby’s in 2005, Mrs. Safra donated $3 million to charities in New York she and her husband had supported for many years, along with a gift to Dillard University
Dillard University
Dillard University is a private, historically black liberal arts college in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1930 incorporating earlier institutions that went back to 1869, it is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church....
in New Orleans to help them rebuild after Hurricane Katrina
Sotheby's announced that an auction of Mr. and Mrs. Safra's collections, including furniture, artwork, silverware and decorative objects, took place in October 2011 in New York City
In 2009, she was honored by the Elton John AIDS Foundation
Elton John AIDS Foundation
Elton John AIDS Foundation is one of the world's leading nonprofit organizations that was established by Sir Elton John in 1992 in the US * and 1993 in the UK * supporting innovative HIV/AIDS prevention, education programs, direct care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS.EJAF has...
with its “An Enduring Vision” award for her long-time support
She established the Edmond J. Safra Family Lodge, for patients battling illnesses, as well as their families, at the National Institute of Health near Washington D.C.
In July 2010, Safra donated 8 million euros to the Institute for Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries in Paris.
Safra is a Patron of Hope and Homes for Children in the UK and a supporter of its work for children in Romania
L'Homme qui marche I
L'Homme qui marche I
L’Homme qui marche I is the name of any one of the cast bronze sculptures that comprise six numbered editions plus four artist proofs created by Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti in 1961...
, a life-sized bronze sculpture of a man, was acquired by Lily Safra becoming one of the most expensive works of art and the most expensive sculpture ever when she bought it at Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
auction in London for £65 million (US$104.3 million) on February 3, 2010.
Empress Bianca
Lady Colin CampbellLady Colin Campbell
Lady Colin Campbell, , is a British writer, biographer, autobiographer, novelist, television and radio personality, known for her biography of Diana, Princess of Wales, The Real Diana, as well as other books on the Royal Family and the international elite.Campbell was born in Jamaica, the child of...
published a novel Empress Bianca
Empress Bianca
Empress Bianca, the first novel by Lady Colin Campbell, was initially published in June, 2005. One month later, Arcadia Books, the British publisher, withdrew the book and pulped all unsold copies in reaction to a legal threat intiated on behalf of Lily Safra under her interpretation that the book...
, that was declared by Safra's lawyer to be "defamatory". Reacting to legal threat the publisher, Arcadia Books, withdrew the book after its publication in the United Kingdom and destroyed its unsold copies. A revision of the book was later published in the US.
Honors
- Legion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, Chevalier (2005) - King's College LondonKing's College LondonKing's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, Honorary Fellow - Honorary chair, International Sephardic Education Foundation.
- Honorary Doctorate from Haifa University
- Courtauld Institute of Art, Honorary Fellow
- Honorary Doctorate from Imperial College London
- Honorary Doctorate from Brandeis University