Leonard Lauder

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Leonard Lauder (born 1934) was chief executive of Estée Lauder Companies until 1999; now he serves as chairman of the board. Today Estee Lauder dominates the prestige cosmetics industry with such brands as Estee Lauder, Clinique, MAC Cosmetics, Aveda, Bobbi Brown and Stila. Son William takes over as CEO in 2004. He is the son of Joseph and Estée Lauder, and the older brother of Ronald Lauder.

Leonard Lauder has long been a major benefactor of the Whitney Museum of American Art, where he has been chairman since 1994. He has donated both money and many works of art to the Whitney, and is the museum's most prolific fundraiser. The fifth floor permanent collection galleries are named for him and his wife, Evelyn. In 1998, he told a reporter for the New York Times that his "dream job" was to be the Whitney Museum's director. Most recently Lauder gave $131 million for the Whitney's endowment.

Lauder is a major art collector (he began by buying Art Deco postcards when he was six), but his particular focus, rather than American works, is expensive, classic Cubist works by Picasso, Braque, Gris, Léger and Klimt.