Arthur Gilbert (real estate developer)

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Sir Arthur Gilbert
Born
Abraham Bernstein

May 16, 1913
London, England
DiedSeptember 2, 2001(2001-09-02) (aged 88)
Beverly Hills, California, US
NationalityBritish, American
Occupation(s)Real estate developer, art collector, philanthropist
Known forGilbert Collection
Spouses
  • Rosalinde Gilbert
  • Marjorie Haworth
Children1

Sir Arthur Gilbert (born Abraham Bernstein; May 16, 1913 – September 2, 2001) was a British-born American real estate developer, art collector and philanthropist.

Early life

Arthur Gilbert was born as Abraham Bernstein on May 16, 1913, in Hackney, London.[1][2] He grew up in Golders Green, London.[3][4]

His father was Lazarus Bernstein, a furrier, and his mother was named Bella.

Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1925.[3]

He was educated at boarding school from the age of four.[2]

Career

Gilbert was a successful businessman in England, selling gowns designed by Rosalinde, his first wife.[2][3] He immigrated to the United States to obviate taxes in 1949.[2] Once in the Los Angeles area, he became a real estate developer.[4] He developed industrial sites under the name of the Gilbert Financial Corporation.[4]

Philanthropy

Gilbert served on the board of trustees of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).[5] He loaned a large collection of objets d'art to the Museum from the 1970s to the mid-1990s.[2][5][6] He discontinued the agreement due to limited space at the LACMA.[2]

In 1996, Gilbert took back the collection of "gold, silver, mosaics, gold boxes and enamel portrait miniatures", worth about US $300 million, and donated it to the British nation.

Victoria & Albert Museum.[7][8] In 2018, the V&A embarked on a research project into the provenance of the Gilbert Collection, culminating in the 'Concealed Histories. Uncovering the Story of Nazi Looting' exhibition.[9]

Additionally, Gilbert supported Jewish charitable causes in Europe and Israel. He made charitable contributions to the

Hebrew University in Jerusalem.[2] He also made charitable contributions to the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa.[3]

He was knighted by

Queen Elizabeth II in 1999.[4][10]

Personal life

He married Rosalinde Gilbert, a dress designer, in 1934, and took her surname.[2] They had a son, Colin.[2] After Rosalinde died in 1995, he married Marjorie Haworth in 1997.[4] They resided in Beverly Hills, California.[5] He became a naturalised American citizen.[10]

Death and legacy

Gilbert died of a heart attack on September 2, 2001, at his private residence in Beverly Hills, California.[5] He was eighty-eight years old.[4]

The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation is an active philanthropic organization.[11] For example, it donated US$6 million to the Younes and Soraya Israel Studies Center at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2006.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b Julia Weiner, The lowly East Ender who gave Britain one of its greatest gifts, The Jewish Chronicle, June 25, 2009
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Alan Riding, Sir Arthur Gilbert Dies at 88; Gave Art Objects for Museum, The New York Times, September 5, 2001
  3. ^ a b c d e Tom Freudenheim, Sir Arthur Gilbert, The Guardian, 4 September 2001
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Sir Arthur Gilbert, The Daily Telegraph, 4 September 2001
  5. ^ a b c d Elaine Woo, Sir Arthur Gilbert; British Art Benefactor, Real Estate Developer, The Los Angeles Times, September 4, 2001
  6. ^ LACMA: History of the Gilbert Collection
  7. ^ a b c Victoria & Albert Museum: The Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection
  8. ^ Paula Weideger, The Gilbert collection: Ups and downs of a move across town, Financial Times, September 14, 2009
  9. ^ Ding, Emily (Summer 2022). "The Provenance Detective". Virginia Quarterly Review.
  10. ^ a b Art's Journey Leads to Knighthood, The Los Angeles Times, October 14, 1999
  11. ^ Inside Philanthropy: Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation: Los Angeles Grants
  12. ^ UCLA's International Institute Receives $1 Million for Israel Studies Endowed Chair From The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, UCLA Younes and Soraya Israel Studies Center, January 12, 2006

External links

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