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.Julia Weiner
The lowly East Ender who gave Britain one of its greatest gifts
'' The Jewish Chronicle'', June 25, 2009Alan Riding
Sir Arthur Gilbert Dies at 88; Gave Art Objects for Museum
''The New York Times'', September 5, 2001 He grew up in Golders Green, London.Tom Freudenheim
Sir Arthur Gilbert
''The Guardian'', 4 September 2001
''The Daily Telegraph'', 4 September 2001 His father was Lazarus Bernstein, a furrier, and his mother was named Bella. His parents were Jewish Polish immigrants who had moved to London in 1897, and they also owned land and built a house in

Rishon LeZion Rishon LeZion ( he, רִאשׁוֹן לְצִיּוֹן , ''lit.'' First to Zion, Arabic: راشون لتسيون) is a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan ar ...

. He and his parents attended the dedication ceremony of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1925. He was educated at boarding school from the age of four.

Career

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

Philanthropy

Gilbert served on the board of trustees of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).Elaine Woo
Sir Arthur Gilbert; British Art Benefactor, Real Estate Developer
''The Los Angeles Times'', September 4, 2001 He loaned a large collection of objets d'art to the Museum from the 1970s to the mid-1990s.LACMA: History of the Gilbert Collection
/ref> He discontinued the agreement due to limited space at the LACMA. 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: The Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection
/ref> Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, the Chairman of the Heritage Lottery Fund, agreed to build a US$30 million gallery inside

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

to display the collection and attract visitors. The new gallery was dedicated by

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the l ...

in 2001. The

Gilbert Collection The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection is a collection of ''objets d'art'' formed by the English-born businessman Sir Arthur Gilbert, who made most of his fortune in the property business in California. After initially becoming interested i ...

stayed there from 2001 to 2008. It can now be viewed at the Victoria & Albert Museum.Paula Weideger
The Gilbert collection: Ups and downs of a move across town
''Financial Times'', September 14, 2009 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. Additionally, Gilbert supported Jewish charitable causes in Europe and Israel. He made charitable contributions to the February 1941 Foundation, a non-profit organization which honors Dutch people who helped Jews escape from Nazi barbarism during World War II. In Israel, he was the founder of the Arthur and Rosalinde Gilbert Center for the Advancement of Scientific Research and made donations to erect buildings on the campus of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He also made charitable contributions to the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. He was knighted by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

in 1999.Art's Journey Leads to Knighthood
''The Los Angeles Times'', October 14, 1999

Personal life

He married Rosalinde Gilbert, a dress designer, in 1934, and took her surname. They had a son, Colin. After Rosalinde died in 1995, he married Marjorie Haworth in 1997. They resided in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...

. He became a naturalised American citizen.

Death and legacy

Gilbert died of a heart attack on September 2, 2001, at his private residence in Beverly Hills, California. He was eighty-eight years old. The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation is an active philanthropic organization.Inside Philanthropy: Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation: Los Angeles Grants
/ref> 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.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

References

External links

The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation

The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection
– official page on the V&A website {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Arthur 1913 births 2001 deaths British art collectors British emigrants to the United States British philanthropists English Jews English people of Polish-Jewish descent Knights Bachelor People associated with the Victoria and Albert Museum Businesspeople from Beverly Hills, California People from Hackney Central Real estate and property developers