Rudolph J. Heinemann
Rudolph J. Heinemann, also known as Rudolf J. Heinemann, (1901 – February 7, 1975) was a German-born American art dealer and collector of Old Masters. He was an advisor to Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, who established a museum in Lugano, Switzerland with his help. Heinemann and his wife donated works of art to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art and the Morgan Library & Museum.
Rudolph J. Heinemann | |
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Born | 1901 Germany |
Died | February 7, 1975 Lugano, Switzerland, U.S. |
Occupation | Art dealer and collector |
Spouse(s) | Loretta Leiter |
Early life
Heinemann was born in 1901 in Germany. His father and grandfather were art dealers.[1] He was educated in Munich, Berlin and Florence.[2]
Career
Heinemann began his career as an assistant at the Galerie Heinemann in Munich, owned by his father.[1] After his father's death in 1931, he became the owner of the gallery.[2] He emigrated to the United States in 1935, he established his own art gallery in New York City.[1] His clients included institutions like the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, to whom he sold Time Unveiling Truth by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo in 1961.[3]
Heinemann was an advisor to Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza.[4] It was under Heinemann's expertise that Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza established the Thyssen Museum in Lugano, Switzerland.[4] (The museum collection was later moved to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, Spain.) Heinemann served on the board of the New York University Institute of Fine Arts.[2]
Heinemann collected Old Masters.[4] According to The New York Times, it became "one of the finest collections of Old Master paintings and drawings in private hands."[4] With his wife, Heinemann donated works of art to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art and the Morgan Library & Museum.[1]
Personal life and death
Heinemann married Loretta Leiter.[1] They resided at 907 Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.[2] Heinemann became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1941.[1]
Heinemann died on February 7, 1975 in Lugano, Switzerland.[2]
References
- "Heinemann, Rudolf J." The Frick Collection. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- "Rudolph J. Heinemann, 73, Dies; Was an International Art Dealer". The New York Times. February 9, 1975. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- "Time Unveiling Truth". Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- Vogel, Carol (February 7, 1997). "Inside Art". The New York Times. Retrieved October 20, 2018.