Guy Wildenstein

Guy Wildenstein
Born December 19th, 1945
New York City, New York,
United States
Residence New York City
Occupation Art dealer, racehorse owner/breeder
Religion Judaism
Spouse Kristina Hansson
Children David, Vanessa, Olivia, Samantha
Parents Daniel Wildenstein & Martine Kapferrer
Relatives Alec Wildenstein (brother)

Guy Wildenstein (born December 19, 1945 in New York City) is a French/American businessman, art dealer and racehorse owner and breeder.

Contents

Early Life

Guy Wildenstein is the son of Daniel Wildenstein, an art dealer, race horse owner and breeder in France. His family had to flee her country following the German occupation of France during World War II and make her way to the United States where Guy was born. He is a member of the Assembly of French Citizens Abroad.[1]

Career

After his father's death in 2001, Guy Wildenstein assumed managing control of the art business, leaving his brother Alec to concentrate mainly on the horse racing and breeding operations. Alec Wildenstein died in 2008 leaving Guy in charge of both businesses. The size of his share of the family fortune and trusts, estimated from $5 billion to $10 billion, was disputed by his stepmother, Silvia Wildenstein, in 2009.[2][3][4]

Among Wildenstein's art businesses is the Wildenstein & Company art gallery at 19 East 64th St.[5]

Arrest

In January 2011, French police seized 30 artworks from the Wildenstein Institute in Paris. These pieces had been registered as “disappeared” or “stolen” and included some art by Degas and Manet.[6] In July 2011, Guy Wildenstein, spent 36 hours in French po­lice custody, sleeping two nights in the suburban headquar­ters for a special art theft squad out­side Paris, where he was formally charged with concealing art that had been reported missing or stolen. [7]

Criticism

The BBC programme, Fake or Fortune?, criticised Guy Wildenstein in June 2011, after the Wildenstein Institute refused to allow the painting Bords de la Seine a Argenteuil into the catalogue raisonné, despite the programme submitting documentary evidence to prove its authenticity. The programme's presenter Philip Mould called for the Wildenstein Institute to be replaced by a committee of scholars for the purpose of adjudicating whether a painting is an original Monet or not.[8]

References

  1. ^ France-Amerique 5 Feb 2011 Accessed 26 June 2011
  2. ^ Sage, Adam (20 June 2009). The Times. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article6538806.ece Times Newspapers online June 20, 2009 article titled "Feud over family fortune and $10bn art collection". 
  3. ^ Samuel, Henry (23 September 2010). Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/8018973/Wildenstein-widow-launches-lawsuit-against-Sarkozy-administration.html. 
  4. ^ Art Dealer Guy Wildenstein Investigated in France for Tax Fraud and Corruption. ARTINFO.com (2010-11-03). Retrieved on 2011-06-20.
  5. ^ Wildenstein & Company. Wildenstein.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-20.
  6. ^ Samuel, Henry (3 February 2011). "Artworks worth millions seized from Wildenstein Institute". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/8301627/Artworks-worth-millions-seized-from-Wildenstein-Institute.html. 
  7. ^ Carvajal, Doreen; Vogel, Carol (20 July 2011). "Guy Wildenstein Defends Holding Missing Art in Paris Vault". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/arts/design/french-art-dealer-spends-time-in-detention-in-case-of-missing-artworks.html?_r=1. 
  8. ^ http://www.theartsdesk.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3936:fake-or-fortune?-episodes-1-2-bbc1&Itemid=27