Alfred Bader CBE (born 28 April 1924 in Vienna, Austria) is a Canadian chemist, businessman and collector of fine art.
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Bader's father's family was of Czech Jewish descent; his mother was a Catholic Hungarian aristocrat. He fled from Austria (via the Kindertransport) to England in 1938 (at age 14) to escape Nazi persecution.[1] He studied engineering chemistry at Queen's University, in Kingston, Ontario, then continued his education at Harvard University.
Bader was employed as a research chemist by Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. in 1950, remaining with PPG until 1954. While pursuing this career, he sensed the need for a small reliable company dedicated to providing quality research chemicals (at that time Kodak was their only supplier, and that large company seemed to show insufficient consideration for small and independent researchers), and as a result he co-founded the Aldrich Chemical Company in 1951, with the title of Chief Chemist (the company operated out of a garage). By 1954 he was able to buy out his partner to become sole proprieter and company president, at which time he took his leave from PPG. In 1975 the Aldrich Chemical Company merged with the Sigma Chemical Corporation to become the Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, the 80th largest chemical company in the United States. Bader was president (later chairman) of the combined company.
In an unexpected corporation upheaval Bader was ousted from the company in 1991. He decided it gave him more time to pursue his artistic desires and his philanthropy. A few years later, however, Bader was invited to return as chemist collector of paintings for covers of the company journal, Aldrichimica Acta (which Bader had founded).[3]
Bader stated, "I am an inveterate collector. It may be a sickness, and it began with stamps at eight, drawings at 10, paintings at 20, and rare chemicals at 30."[4] He collected stamps as a youth when his finances permitted. He purchased his first oil painting in the Canadian internment camp: his portrait, painted by a fellow inmate, for a fee of one Canadian dollar.[4]
While involved with Aldrich Chemical, Bader contributed numerous articles on art subjects to the company's journal, and printed full-color copies of works from Dutch masters.
A lifelong collector, Bader has devoted himself to the study of art history and collection of many fine paintings.
Bader has given various charitable donations to Queen's, both financial and in-kind. He is the donor of the 15th century Herstmonceux Castle, as well as Old Masters artworks such as two Rembrandt paintings. In honour of his numerous contributions, in 2004 Queen's renamed a campus road from "Queen's Crescent" to "Bader Lane". Other Queen's namesakes include "Bader Hall", the residence at the International Study Centre at Herstmonceux Castle, the Alfred Bader Fellowship, and the Bader Chairs in Southern Baroque Art, and in Northern Baroque Art. For Victoria University (Toronto) he funded construction of a performing arts theatre, named in honour of his wife. He is presently establishing a similar performing arts theatre site at Queen's University, which will also be named in honour of his wife.[5]
In 1995 Bader published his autobiography, Adventures of a Chemist Collector, which details his experiences from Nazi-era refugee, to chemist magnate, to fine arts connoisseur. In 2008 he published his second autobiography, Chemistry & Art - Further Adventures of a Chemist Collector.
His romance is detailed in his second autobiographical book; it involved a shipboard meeting and courtship, some 400 love letters, a twenty-five year separation, and finally a happy and fruitful marriage.[5] He has two sons, David and Daniel, who now serve as half-owners of the Alfred Bader Fine Arts (descendants of Bader's onetime partner in that gallery, Marvin Klitsner, now own the other half).[5]