Victor Ganz
Encyclopedia
Victor Ganz was one of the most important collectors of contemporary art in the 20th century.
before going to work at D. Lisner Company, a costume jewelry
business, that had been founded by his uncle in 1875. Lisner costume jewelry was sold all over the United States, but maintained a small sales force of about ten reps throughout the country. As president of Lisner, Victor Ganz was a creative spirit and became involved in every aspect of jewelry production. He traveled weekly between New York and Providence
to oversee manufacturing. After his in-house designer, Sidney Welicky retired, Ganz himself and Iraida Garey, vice president of product development, took over the designing responsibilities. Ganz' style could be seen in everything from the actual jewelry to the retail packaging and advertising.
Ganz started collecting art in his teenage years with the purchases of watercolors by Louis Eilshemius
and Jules Pascin and an oil painting by Raphael Soyer
. With these purchases, his fascination with contemporary masters was born.
Ganz had almost no training and was largely self-taught. In the 1930s he had a strict regimen in order to learn more about art. Every Saturday he traveled as far as possible, visiting exhibitions and art shows in and around New York. Although he made contacts with artists, dealers and curators, most of his knowledge came from the study of the works themselves.
In 1941, there began what Ganz sometimes described as "a love affair with Picasso." He bought his first Picasso in 1941, Le Rêve
for $7,000 (Steve Wynn, the current owner of painting, infamously poked a 6 inch hole in the picture with his elbow while showing it to some prominent guests in 2007. He had recently arranged to sell the painting to Steven A. Cohen
for $140 million, which would have made it the highest price ever paid for a painting. The deal fell through after the mishap). In 1942 Victor Ganz married Sally Wile, and together they started a collection that represented more than merely a collection; for them it was a passion. Thereafter the Ganzes bought heavily and very well in all periods of Picasso, and in 1956 they acquired the entire series of Picasso's variations of Eugène Delacroix
's The Women of Algiers
.
Knowing that Picasso by then had acquired the status of an Old Master
, the Ganzes began shortly afterward to collect Jasper Johns
, Robert Rauschenberg
and later Frank Stella
. When these artists, in their turn, had assumed magisterial status, the couple once again turned to young and less familiar artists, especially to Eva Hesse
, Dorothea Rockburne
and Mel Bochner
. In every case Ganz and his wife worked as equal partners and showed a degree of discrimination that was much admired by museum professionals.
During the rest of his life Ganz and his wife gathered several masterpieces for very low prices. The Ganzes accumulated works by Jasper Johns, Eva Hesse, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, Mel Bochner and other artists whom the couple championed and befriended. Their understanding of emerging leaders of the art world such as Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg earned Victor Ganz appointments in leading museums and associations. On his retirement, he gave all his time and energy to public service for art. A trustee of the Whitney Museum beginning in 1981, and its vice president when he died, Ganz was the only active trustee to have served on all its acquisition committees. He was also chairman of the Battery Park City Fine Arts Committee from its inception in 1982 to his death. In 1985 Ganz served on the museum's advisory panel of the National Endowment for the Arts
.
The collection, which the couple bought for less than $2 million over the course of their lifetime, sold for over $206 million at auction in November 1997, representing a return of over 10,000%. At the time of the auction, it was the largest private owner art sale in history.
Victor Ganz died of lung cancer at his home in New York on October 26, 1987. He was 74 years old. Sally Ganz died January 27, 1997, also at home, aged 85.
Biography
Victor Wendell Ganz was born in New York on April 7, 1913. The son of Saul Ganz and his wife, the former Ruth Wendell, he attended public schools and the City College of New YorkCity College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
before going to work at D. Lisner Company, a costume jewelry
Costume jewelry
Costume jewelry is jewelry manufactured as ornamentation to complement a particular fashionable costume or garment. Costume jewelry came into being in the 1930s as a cheap, disposable accessory meant to be worn with a specific outfit...
business, that had been founded by his uncle in 1875. Lisner costume jewelry was sold all over the United States, but maintained a small sales force of about ten reps throughout the country. As president of Lisner, Victor Ganz was a creative spirit and became involved in every aspect of jewelry production. He traveled weekly between New York and Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
to oversee manufacturing. After his in-house designer, Sidney Welicky retired, Ganz himself and Iraida Garey, vice president of product development, took over the designing responsibilities. Ganz' style could be seen in everything from the actual jewelry to the retail packaging and advertising.
Ganz started collecting art in his teenage years with the purchases of watercolors by Louis Eilshemius
Louis Eilshemius
Louis Michel Eilshemius was an American painter, primarily of landscapes and nudes. Although he was academically trained, much of his work has the unself-aware character of naive art...
and Jules Pascin and an oil painting by Raphael Soyer
Raphael Soyer
Raphael Soyer was a Russian-born American painter, draftsman, and printmaker. Soyer was referred to as an American scene painter...
. With these purchases, his fascination with contemporary masters was born.
Ganz had almost no training and was largely self-taught. In the 1930s he had a strict regimen in order to learn more about art. Every Saturday he traveled as far as possible, visiting exhibitions and art shows in and around New York. Although he made contacts with artists, dealers and curators, most of his knowledge came from the study of the works themselves.
In 1941, there began what Ganz sometimes described as "a love affair with Picasso." He bought his first Picasso in 1941, Le Rêve
Le Rêve (painting)
Le Rêve is a 1932 oil painting by Pablo Picasso, then 50 years old, portraying his 24-year-old mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter. It is said to have been painted in one afternoon, on 24 January 1932...
for $7,000 (Steve Wynn, the current owner of painting, infamously poked a 6 inch hole in the picture with his elbow while showing it to some prominent guests in 2007. He had recently arranged to sell the painting to Steven A. Cohen
Steven A. Cohen
Steven "Steve" A. Cohen is an American hedge fund manager. He is the founder of SAC Capital Advisors, a Stamford, Connecticut-based hedge fund focusing primarily on equity market strategies....
for $140 million, which would have made it the highest price ever paid for a painting. The deal fell through after the mishap). In 1942 Victor Ganz married Sally Wile, and together they started a collection that represented more than merely a collection; for them it was a passion. Thereafter the Ganzes bought heavily and very well in all periods of Picasso, and in 1956 they acquired the entire series of Picasso's variations of Eugène Delacroix
Eugène Delacroix
Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school...
's The Women of Algiers
The Women of Algiers
The Women of Algiers is an 1834 oil on canvas painting by Eugène Delacroix. It is located in the Louvre, Paris, France. The painting was first displayed at the Salon, where it was universally admired. King Louis Philippe bought it and presented it to the Musée du Luxembourg, which at that time was...
.
Knowing that Picasso by then had acquired the status of an Old Master
Old Master
"Old Master" is a term for a European painter of skill who worked before about 1800, or a painting by such an artist. An "old master print" is an original print made by an artist in the same period...
, the Ganzes began shortly afterward to collect Jasper Johns
Jasper Johns
Jasper Johns, Jr. is an American contemporary artist who works primarily in painting and printmaking.-Life:Born in Augusta, Georgia, Jasper Johns spent his early life in Allendale, South Carolina with his paternal grandparents after his parents' marriage failed...
, Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg was an American artist who came to prominence in the 1950s transition from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art. Rauschenberg is well-known for his "Combines" of the 1950s, in which non-traditional materials and objects were employed in innovative combinations...
and later Frank Stella
Frank Stella
Frank Stella is an American painter and printmaker, significant within the art movements of minimalism and post-painterly abstraction.-Biography:...
. When these artists, in their turn, had assumed magisterial status, the couple once again turned to young and less familiar artists, especially to Eva Hesse
Eva Hesse
Eva Hesse , was a German-born American sculptor, known for her pioneering work in materials such as latex, fiberglass, and plastics. -Early life:Hesse was born into a family of observant Jews in Hamburg, Germany...
, Dorothea Rockburne
Dorothea Rockburne
Dorothea Rockburne is an abstract painter drawing inspiration primarily from her deep interest in mathematics and astronomy. In 1950 she moved to the United States to attend Black Mountain College, where she studied with mathematician Max Dehn, a lifelong influence on her work...
and Mel Bochner
Mel Bochner
Mel Bochner is an American conceptual artist. Mr. Bochner received his BFA in 1962 and honorary Doctor of Fine Arts in 2005 from the School of Art at Carnegie Mellon University...
. In every case Ganz and his wife worked as equal partners and showed a degree of discrimination that was much admired by museum professionals.
During the rest of his life Ganz and his wife gathered several masterpieces for very low prices. The Ganzes accumulated works by Jasper Johns, Eva Hesse, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, Mel Bochner and other artists whom the couple championed and befriended. Their understanding of emerging leaders of the art world such as Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg earned Victor Ganz appointments in leading museums and associations. On his retirement, he gave all his time and energy to public service for art. A trustee of the Whitney Museum beginning in 1981, and its vice president when he died, Ganz was the only active trustee to have served on all its acquisition committees. He was also chairman of the Battery Park City Fine Arts Committee from its inception in 1982 to his death. In 1985 Ganz served on the museum's advisory panel of the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
.
The collection, which the couple bought for less than $2 million over the course of their lifetime, sold for over $206 million at auction in November 1997, representing a return of over 10,000%. At the time of the auction, it was the largest private owner art sale in history.
Victor Ganz died of lung cancer at his home in New York on October 26, 1987. He was 74 years old. Sally Ganz died January 27, 1997, also at home, aged 85.