Stephen Hahn (February 1, 1921 – April 2, 2011) was an American art dealer and collector. An expert on
Picasso
Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...
,
Degas, and others, he held one of the most significant collections of twentieth century masters during his years operating the Stephen Hahn Gallery in New York City.
Early life
Born in Hungary, Hahn moved to Paris at the age of twelve. His father was an art dealer who specialized in the
. During World War II, Stephen lived in
Santo Domingo
, total_type = Total
, population_density_km2 = auto
, timezone = AST (UTC −4)
, area_code_type = Area codes
, area_code = 809, 829, 849
, postal_code_type = Postal codes
, postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional)
, websi ...
, spending 6 years there and working as a surveyor. After the war, he returned to Paris, where he attended the
École du Louvre, and studied and taught at the
Sorbonne. In 1952, he moved to New York City with his wife, Nancy, an American.
Career
Hahn began his career as a New York art dealer buying and selling paintings from the trunk of his car.
An early champion of
Jean Dubuffet
Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet (31 July 1901 – 12 May 1985) was a French Painting, painter and sculpture, sculptor. His idealistic approach to aesthetics embraced so-called "low art" and eschewed traditional standards of beauty in favor of what ...
, he eventually opened the Stephen Hahn Gallery at 75th Street and Madison Avenue.
A founding member of the Art Dealers Association of America, he donated art to cultural institutions worldwide. His personal collection featured pieces by such
modern masters as Picasso,
Cezanne, and
Matisse
Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known prima ...
.
Philanthropy
Hahn was a benefactor of the
Music Academy of the West near Santa Barbara, CA, with Hahn Hall being named after him.
Art theft
In 1969, seven paintings were stolen from the Hahn gallery. Valued at $500,000 in total, the works included pieces by
Monet
Oscar-Claude Monet (, , ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During ...
and
Pissarro. Ironically, while the theft was occurring, Hahn was discussing the subject of art theft with the Art Dealers Association of America.
Nazi looted art
Two paintings embroiled in Nazi-era restitution cases involved the Stephen Hahn gallery. The
Camille Pissarro
Jacob Abraham Camille Pissarro ( , ; 10 July 1830 – 13 November 1903) was a Danish-French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, St Thomas (now in the US Virgin Islands, but t ...
painting, "Rue St. Honoré, après midi, effet de pluie" which is disputed in the Cassirer v Thyssen case, was purchased in October 1976 by Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza from the Stephen Hahn Gallery after passing through the dealers Frank Perls and Knoedler. In another case, Picasso's “Femme en Blanc” (Woman in White) was purchased by Marilyn Alsdorf and her late husband, James from Stephen Hahn. When the painting turned out to be Nazi-looted art that had belonged to the Bennigson family, the Bennigsons sued the Alsdorfs for the restitution of the painting and the Alsdorfs sued Hahn for having sold them looted art.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hahn, Stephen
American art collectors
1921 births
2011 deaths
Hungarian emigrants to the United States
Hungarian expatriates in France
Expatriates in the Dominican Republic