Guy Weill

American art collector (1914–2006)

Guy Weill

Born| (1914-05-13)May 13, 1914

Zürich, Switzerland

Died| August 17, 2006(2006-08-17) (aged 92)

New York City, U.S.

Occupation| Art collector
Spouse| Marie-Hélène Bigar
Relatives| Kurt Weill (cousin)

Guy Weill (May 13, 1914 – August 17, 2006) was a Swiss-born American art collector. Born in Switzerland, he served in military intelligence for the United States Army during World War II and ran a luxury clothing store on Madison Avenue after the war. He was a large collector of Abstract Expressionism, Neo-Expressionism, and Asian Art.

## Early life

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Guy Weill was born on May 13, 1914 in Zürich, Switzerland.[1][2][3] His mother was Alsatian.[2] He had a sister, Marianne Lester.[2] His cousin, Kurt Weill, was a renowned composer.[2]

Weill emigrated to the United States in 1938.[1][3] During World War II, he worked in military intelligence for the United States Army.[1]

## Career

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Weill ran a clothing store on Madison Avenue in New York City called British American House.[1][2][3] He imported luxury clothes from England, like Aquascutum and Burberry, and sold them in his store.[1][2]

## Art collection

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Weill began collecting paintings by Pablo Picasso and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner as a teenager in Switzerland.[1][2] Once in New York after World War II, he and his wife focused on collecting works of Abstract Expressionism and Neo-Expressionism.[4] For example, they acquired paintings by Sam Francis, Philip Guston, Robert Motherwell, Larry Rivers, Karel Appel, Helen Frankenthaler and Louise Nevelson.[4]

From the late 1970s onward, Weill and his wife began collecting Asian art.[2] In 1979, they began an annual trip on the Silk Road of China to find more art to purchase.[2]

In 2002, the Weills's art collection was the subject of an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art called Cultivated Landscapes: Reflections of Nature in Chinese Painting with Selections from the Collection of Marie-Hélène and Guy Weill.[1][3] A catalogue was subsequently published.[5]

## Personal life and death

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Weill had a wife, Marie-Hélène Bigar, and three daughters, Photographer Kathryn, Film and TV Director Claudia and Patricia.[1] They resided in New York City and summered in Cape Cod.[4] He died on August 17, 2006, at the age of 92.[2][3]

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Guy Weill, 92, Noted Collector of Asian Art, Is Dead". The New York Times. September 2, 2006. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Miller, Stephen (August 23, 2006). "Guy Weill, 92, Dealer of Trendy Menswear and Art Patron". The New York Sun. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
3. ^ a b c d e "Guy Weill, 92, collector of Asian art". Boston.com. August 25, 2006. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
4. ^ a b c "The Weills — 'A collaboration of like minds'". Christie's. April 6, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
5. ^ Hearn, Maxwell K. (2002). Cultivated landscapes : Chinese paintings from the collection of Marie-Hélène and Guy Weill. New York City: Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 9780300097825. OCLC 49551227.

## External links

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* Christie's: The Weills — 'A collaboration of like minds' on YouTube