Guy Wildenstein (born December 19, 1945) is a French businessman,

art dealer An art dealer is a person or company that buys and sells works of art, or acts as the intermediary between the buyers and sellers of art. An art dealer in contemporary art typically seeks out various artists to represent, and builds relationshi ...

, and

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

owner and

breeder A breeder is a person who selectively breeds carefully selected mates, normally of the same breed to sexually reproduce offspring with specific, consistently replicable qualities and characteristics. This might be as a farmer, agriculturalist, or ...

Early life

Born in New York City, Guy Wildenstein is the son of

Daniel Wildenstein Daniel Leopold Wildenstein (11 September 1917 – 23 October 2001) was a French art dealer, historian and owner-breeder of thoroughbred race horses. He was the third member of the family to preside over Wildenstein & Co., one of the most succes ...

, an art dealer, racehorse owner and breeder in France. His family fled France following the German occupation during World War II to the United States, where Guy was born. He is a member of the Assembly of French Citizens Abroad.

Career

After his father's death in 2001, Guy Wildenstein assumed managing control of his art business, leaving his brother

Alec Alec or Aleck is a Scottish form of the given name Alex. It may be a diminutive of the name Alexander or a given name in its own right. Notable people with the name include: People * Alec Aalto (1942–2018), Finnish diplomat *Alec Acton (1938� ...

to concentrate mainly on the horse racing and breeding operations. Alec 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. Among Wildenstein's art businesses is the Wildenstein & Company art gallery in New York City, formerly at 19 East 64th Street.

Criticism

The BBC programme ''

Fake or Fortune? ''Fake or Fortune?'' is a BBC One documentary television series which examines the provenance and attribution of notable artworks. Since the first series aired in 2011, ''Fake or Fortune?'' has drawn audiences of up to 5 million viewers in t ...

'' criticized Guy Wildenstein in June 2011, after the

Wildenstein Institute The Wildenstein Institute was a French art institute that published ''catalogues raisonnés'' and scholarly inventories. History The Institute was founded in 1970 by Daniel Wildenstein as the ''Fondation Wildenstein'', and it was renamed the Wild ...

controversially refused to allow the painting '' Bords de la Seine à Argenteuil'' into the Monet ''

catalogue raisonné A ''catalogue raisonné'' (or critical catalogue) is a comprehensive, annotated listing of all the known artworks by an artist either in a particular medium or all media. The works are described in such a way that they may be reliably identified ...

'', despite the programme submitting conclusive documentary evidence to prove its authenticity. The programme's presenter,

Philip Mould Philip Jonathan Clifford Mould (born March 1960) is an English art dealer, London gallery owner, art historian, writer and broadcaster. He has made a number of major art discoveries, including works of Thomas Gainsborough, Anthony Van Dyck and ...

, 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. In July 2011, Guy Wildenstein was charged by the French authorities with concealing art that had been reported as missing or stolen. The police seized 30 artworks from the vault of the Wildenstein Institute, at least 20 of which, including sculptures by the Italian artist

Rembrandt Bugatti Rembrandt Bugatti (16 October 1884 – 8 January 1916) was an Italian sculptor, known primarily for his bronze sculptures of wildlife subjects. During World War I, he volunteered for paramedical work at a military hospital in Antwerp, an experie ...

, two sketches by

Edgar Degas Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, prints and drawings. Degas is es ...

and a pastel by

Eugène Delacroix Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( , ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: Britis ...

, were claimed to have been originally part of the collection of

Joseph Reinach Joseph Reinach (30 September 1856 – 18 April 1921) was a French author and politician. Biography He was born in Paris. His two brothers Salomon Reinach and Théodore Reinach would later be known in the field of archaeology. After studying at L ...

. Daniel Wildenstein had acted as executor of the estate of Reinach's daughter in 1972 and had been charged with responsibility for distributing the collection, which was held at the Wildenstein Institute, among the heirs. Wildenstein was heard by a magistrate in October 2016 and denied all charges. At trial in 2017, Wildenstein was cleared of hiding paintings, the trial judge said that there was a “clear attempt” by Wildenstein and others to hide assets but it was impossible to return a guilty verdict due to shortcomings in the investigation. The prosecutors successfully appealed to the

Cour de Cassation A court of cassation is a high-instance court that exists in some judicial systems. Courts of cassation do not re-examine the facts of a case, they only interpret the relevant law. In this they are appellate courts of the highest instance. In th ...

, and the case will be rejudged. In January of 2021 it was announced that Guy Wildenstein and family members will stand again trial for

tax fraud Tax evasion is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to reduce the taxp ...

charges. They have already been cleared twice previously. This will be France's third attempt to try the case. They are accused of concealing nearly £500 million from French authorities.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wildenstein, Guy 1945 births American art dealers French polo players French racehorse owners and breeders American racehorse owners and breeders 20th-century American Jews Businesspeople from New York City Living people Guy Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur