[LCR]

Foreign Clients

At the beginning of the century were big customers, very different. To begin with - the foreigners living in France. Argentines Bembergi. They supplied the meat across Europe. Colossal state. Enormous shopping. There were several brothers. Two of them bought the XVIII century until the 1920s., And then switched to the XIX century ... Another Argentine Client: Martinez de Hoz. He was engaged in raising livestock, wool, horses. His wife, a native of Brazil, has long been considered the most beautiful woman of France and Navarre.

Читать дальше... 

When I met her, she was already well over twenty, but it was still very beautiful. She was dressed in Pakena, Vonne, Poiret - and everyone was buying the entire collection! This woman never wore a dress, coat, hat in the second raz.Eti Latin American rich have always reminded me of the Brazilian Offenbaza of the "Paris of life." By the way, we have had and Brazilian customers - Ginle family - they can be called rich people, and even more than the rich ... They got rich on wood, gold, coffee, on the whole. They lived in the most luxurious mansions XVII arrondissement. They bought paintings, sculptures and tapestries. They bought the eighteenth century, and supplied it to them, of course, my grandfather.
Prior to World War wealthy Americans who settled in France, too, bought art, for example, bankers Uaydener who was Paris mansion, Woolworth, and others. They bought a French art. At that time, it was necessary to hang on the walls at Fragonard or Nattier, if you wanted to pass for "decent man" ... After the war, the Americans returned to her to America, taking the pictures, furniture and other knick-knacks. This was the beginning of the end times ... These people have to flock to Paris is only occasionally, and Paris was no longer the same ... But there, in New York, they continued to buy the eighteenth century. Everything we sell them, eventually ended up in the Metropolitan or other American museums. All these wonderful collectors handed over to the museum, and in fact at the time the generosity had nothing to do with taxation.
Our clients come from all over Europe, for example, Marksel de Nemes, a Hungarian baron. Especially there were many Austrians and Germans: Otto Krebs, Berlin's largest Marchand Paul Cassirer, Otto Gerstenberg, and, of course, the brothers Thiessen. These Thyssen bought in France before the war. After this they began to buy more. They had, than to pay - their war plants have not suffered from the bombing. However, we too - arms dealers were in excellent relations with each other ... However, Thyssen were not for our major customers. What they thought about my grandfather? The response was ruthless, but not surprising: "It is ... Boches."
Hans sat on their billions in Lugano, with time he became a great collector. But his brother Fritz was nicer. Initially he financed Hitler, but then came to his senses ... come to his senses too late, that's for sure, but better late than never. First, from Switzerland, and then, when he was kicked out of France, he gave to the struggle against Nazism, whatever it was - in Germany all his property was confiscated. After the war he was a frequent visitor here. He bought his favorite artist - Fragonard ... In 1940, Petain gave him the Gestapo - a great moment in history! It was included in the terms of the armistice. Thus, Fritz was taken back to Germany, and there he was sent to Dachau.
In 1960. I met with his only daughter, the Countess of Ziha (?). She lived in Argentina. A wonderful woman. We became friends. Thyssen failed to return the property, but she did not want to go back to Germany. Germany was repugnant to her. Memories of her father ... She said: "Our house is still standing, Daniel. Go there, be there at home. " I went, I visited the home of Fritz in the south-east of Germany, on the border with Austria. Luxurious, fantastic place with forests and waterfalls. I thought that I found myself in the scenery for the opera of Wagner. I found the picture, which he bought from my grandfather and father, a few Fragonard ... And again I saw the face of Fritz Thyssen.
It was a brave man.

Great Maurice

We should not forget the French customers. Arthur Veil-Picard, the king of pastis, the Order of the Legion of Honor on the shabby dress - a remarkable collector.
Mr. David-Weill, the banker. Amazing people, life has generously darivshy museums. It was one of our largest customers. He began buying the eighteenth century in the late nineteenth. Paintings, sculptures, tapestries, he always bought ... And then, in late 1930., He suddenly fell in love with the nineteenth, in the broadest sense: from Corot to Cezanne ... in his mansion in Neuilly all the walls were already hung. Not a single square centimeter of the free. So you know what he did? He passed his eighteenth century collection of my father, so he sold it in the United States. He released his wall, and again started to collect!
Rothschilds. Our major customers. The largest. True lovers of art, they are always looking for the best. Unique. They began to walk to his grandfather as soon as it opened. Baron James, Baron Edmond, Baron Edouard. But is particularly great ... Maurice Morris. The most enlightened art lover. Incredible expert. If he had been Marchand, he would be the best ...
Baron Maurice was a friend of our family. He came here to the half-past six, sat down in the cabin and said goodbye to eight hours. Every day something attracted his eye, he intrigued and excited. Sometimes he would bring the two Boucher, Watteau and came away with. He bought as many here, he had the right and return the painting. He often changed scenes, and his collection from that always won. He also acted and sellers of antique furniture.
He was like a Louis XIV, is incredibly arrogant. I must say that it was not bored. Went to Paris a story: one day he met an Englishman, the owner of a huge belly. "You wait for a girl or a boy?" - Said Maurice. The Englishman kept his head: "If a boy, I'll call him George, in honor of the king. If a girl, I'll call it Victoria in honor of the queen. But if born shit, I'll call him Maurice - in your honor! ".
Most people simply hated. I remember the ball in his mansion, I've seen people put out his cigar on the picture. Redeem a masterpiece of a cigar, what a shame ...
My grandfather and my father loved Maurice. And Maurice, too, loved them.

Vildenshtayn and Gimpel

In 1889, my grandfather found a partner - the Alsatians Gimpel. His son, Rene Gimpel, has left us a wonderful collector's Diary. In January 1945 he died of starvation in the concentration camp Neuengamme. Their collaboration lasted until the departure of Gimpel in the United States at the outbreak of World War II. Grandpa turn over a letter from the fear of mad Gimpel from the United States, where he wrote that the Germans probably will ... in Paris, Rene Gimpel was always very friendly, cordial relationship with our family. I was not acquainted with him. His children - the beautiful Marshall, that's all I can say.
Gimpel speak English very well. The purpose of a partnership with home Vildenshtaynov was working in the Anglo-Saxon countries. At Martin's in London Kolnagi Gimpel and grandfather sold the British what they wanted, for example, Guardi ... and bought on the cheap French painting of the Old Regime. There was a lot of it. It appeared there during the French Revolution - our forefathers have devastated many castles. Within two years they have performed with great maestros in Versailles and Paris public auction - with experts, explanatory notes, certificates, and reserve price. If the picture did not reach the reserve price, it was removed from the auction, and then exposed to the following. These people were professionals, it is clear. The British bought a lot at these auctions. One hundred years later, bought the picture lost its appeal. Accordingly, my grandfather was able to buy them - to sell, of course.


The Conquest of America

In the early twentieth century, Americans are not admired by the French art of the XVIII century. No, the most prized in the U.S. and British art "sports" Painting: a pack of dogs, the red coats jockeys, hunting horns. Appreciated by Hogarth, Reynolds, Gainsborough, Lawrence ... For wealthy Americans, this English culture was a kind of important page of their own history - as opposed to, say, Fragonard. Honestly, Fragonard came to mind an American client in the least, he did not know who Fragonard ... What kind of strategy worked grandfather? He attacked their American clients, who lived in Paris, the heavy artillery.
He behaved just like Hitler, his arguments do not have any relation to the truth, or in other words, he lied as a trooper - and all for one story ... "The only true art in the world - a French art, and those who buy British Art - just idiots. " When my grandpa was a rage, it can not be stopped: "Yes, it's just a picture! In England, never had any standing in the artist, mediocre photographers - here they are! "- And added:" The English - zero without a stick! ". In our New York gallery he echoed the chorus and the beat: "Photographers!." Generally, in this New York gallery of art with clients Gimpel said, but the specific pattern with a distant cousin of mine was discussing Felix. Elegant, lean, very sophisticated look. Originally, this was not one of Felix Fegerskhayma, and from the vicinity of Mulhouse. Did he know about the past Nathan. Comply with a law of silence? I can not say. He never said a word to me about the drama ... Nathan knew his father, who in 1892 moved to America to sell fabric. Grandpa thought. Then he wrote to his father, Felix, "Your fool-Felix is ​​already in place, let the will of all. Still, he's from Vildenshtaynov. And people need Vildenshtaynov. " That's it. That is, both in Paris and New York all the "Galaxy Vildenshtaynov" from morning till night defied the British art. In the end, the Americans gave up and started to buy Fragonard, and everything else - my grandfather was able to convince people. As for English painting, even my father believed him. Well, I? I do not sell English painting. I have never in my life did not sell a picture of English artist. You ask, and why not?
Yes, because I am a nerd!
In England, a lot of good artists, and English painting is charming.

New York

First cousin of Felix with the appearance of first dummy dragged picture. But gradually he became a salesman. A great seller. The Pope said: "How can he make a mistake, because it is silent, like a fish!". What kind of picture may be in question, Felix is ​​always uttered the same phrase: "It's a beautiful picture" - and silent. Not a word more. He silently waited for the question: "How much?". It was a system of Felix, it functioned quite perfectly ... In private life, Felix behaved quite differently, he was more talkative. He began work about 1900 and died in 1957, It was he, Felix, was telling me about the heroic years - the beginning of our work in America, about our clients.
Gee. P, Morgan, the banker. He is one of the first crossed the threshold of our galleries. They say it was a welcoming and friendly people. He came to the gallery with his daughter and his mistress. They took part in the selection of pictures. He asked for their opinion. Felix said: "He never came with his wife - well, he can not stand it." After the crisis of 1929 Morgan's collection was exhibited at public auction. I think I still have a few pictures, purchased at these auctions ...
Julius Bach, the Emperor of Wall Street. German Jew, stock broker, the largest broker of America. Phenomenal state. He told Felix: "On Wall Street, I most respected, most revered man. But if I were to return home on 60th street like no one even says hello to me. " The same people who are licked at noon it boots, the evening turned away. Like everywhere else in America was a little anti-Semitism ... Felix is ​​often seen him, Bach bought from him, especially he was hungry for the great Flemish, Dutch and Spanish masters - the magnificent work of Goya, Rembrandt. So it was a first-class, a wonderful collection. Not very big - about forty paintings - but what paintings! .. Now you can see them in the Underground, they hang out there. He gave everything. He became a trustee Underground, a member of the Board of Administration. They could not appoint him. Felix said: "With this collection I now hand fed. Even in the upper town, Felix. Even in the upper town. But if it were not for the collection ... ".
Randolph Hearst, owner of the New York Journal. In a sense they were like my grandfather. He brainwash people of his newspaper empire, like my grandfather-eighteenth century. Maybe, Hearst was the largest customer of our gallery in New York. To quote Felix: "He was very tall, very moody, spoke in falsetto. Forget Orson Welles in Citizen Kane ... ". At Hearst was a huge fortune, and often accompanies his illness: consuming fever. It was a real, serious pathology. He bought elsewhere, he bought everything - from medieval to renaissance kluatrov fountains. On his instructions, they dismantled the stones and then gathered at his estate at San Simeon with something like a medieval fortified castle, utterly false. There he kept his treasures, among which were beautiful things. He bought the old days only. Bronze, lead, marble statues, and in general, anything. We sold him the art of the eighteenth century - the French sculpture. Beginning in 1930, he began buying and painting - Watteau, Greuze, Fragonard. But not for himself but for his mistress, Marion Davies charming. When she died, all these things have been sold in New York at a public auction.
Felix loved to go to Hearst in San Simeon. He claimed that the game worth the candle, "his desk he placed in the hallway, which was little more than the station hall. There was a huge and dark body. The servants were invisible. He did not want anyone to see. All of this was terribly sad ... ". They were talking, walking in the park. Sometimes heard a faint sound. Hearst apologized and hid behind a tree. For every tree was a telephone. Felix did not believe his eyes: "Every tree had its own phone! And all this in the forest. "
In the early 1950s. I happened to be in New York for an incredible event. After the death of Randolph Hearst left more than twenty thousand items, and about five hundred pictures. This collection is not sold at public auction, it is not handed over to some Marchand, so he sold it. It eliminated the large stores Gimpel. It is as if Rembrandt was sold in Galeries Lafayette. A collection of isolated whole floor of the store and the army Gimpel sellers. In each subject, each painting was labeled with a price. You could buy something for $ 2,000 or a million dollars. It was an unforgettable spectacle. I bought a lot there. All rushed to the marshal. As soon as any object left in his place there and then put the other.
Sale of this collection lasted for almost two years.


Nathan and George Vildenshtayn

Living Library

In 1882 my grandfather and grandmother had a daughter, Elizabeth, ugly, stupid, and monkey. Three of these qualities in a girl - this is too much. It can be said is unforgivable. After Elizabeth's three children did not survive, and, finally, in 1892 my father was born George Vildenshtayn.
I must confess that my father never let me not particularly admired. Perhaps, even probably, I was wrong. My father was a bad father. Accordingly, I became a bad son.
My father loved my mother, read it immensely. When my grandfather went somewhere else, my grandmother asked my father to watch him. She confessed to me. I must say, my grandfather had a weakness for the female sex. In the morning he explained to his grandmother that he must go to Toulouse to buy paintings, and after dinner, she accidentally bumps into him on a street corner. Poor woman, she had him hard. But to send her son to follow his father - I confess I do not understand ...
Between my father and my grandfather was a large, impassable gulf. It was a gap in taste, style, cultural abyss. To begin with, as they relate to the clothes. Appearance was important for Nathan, perhaps because he started from scratch. I remember him always elegant - perfect sitting suits, waistcoats of brocade with woven flowers, socks, hat, cane. His father, however, wore black suits light and dark blue tie on a white shirt - so he wore winter and summer. He believed, and can not say that he was quite wrong, that his grandfather "overboard." The father said: "Dad - a simple man. It should not be flaunting in this form. It is necessary to shine speeches, thought, and not tweed. " My dad was a very brilliant man. The character he had a hard, stern, strict - he was neither an optimist nor merry, although he loved to laugh. He had a keen sense of the phrase. He willingly joked, he wanted to admiration ...
In short, my father was living library. In six years, he began collecting postcards and reproductions of paintings, as well as read. Read everything - literature, and art books. He read the book in an hour and remembered it all his life - and it's not an exaggeration, it's true. My father could show in a circus, I'd never seen before.



Could be.









[/B]


















 
All.
All things are possible.



[/B]














That's it.


Everything. Everything.





[/B]




Who? He is one.