The Passionate Collector: Eighty Years in the World of Art

"Few living persons have served the Metropolitan Museum of Art–indeed, the entire world of art and art museums–longer, or with more distinction, than Roy Neuberger. A man of taste, passion, persistence, and generosity, he has shared much of his great private collection with the public, and for generations has supported activities that bring people to museums, and motivate them to return again and again. Now, this giant of a man has recorded eighty years of his life–and the result is entertaining, illuminating, and, like the tireless gentleman himself, inspiring." –Philippe de Montebello, Director, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Equal to his passion for investing is Roy Neuberger’s love for art–which he has collected and encouraged for eight decades. In The Passionate Collector: Eighty Years in the World of Art, you’ll follow this fascinating financial figure and great patron of the arts from the streets of 1920s Paris to the museums of New York as he develops the eye of a connoisseur and begins to collect great contemporary art. Vivid detail puts you in the center of the action as Neuberger collects the brilliant artists of his time–Milton Avery, Jackson Pollock, Ben Shahn, Edward Hopper; works with legendary art dealers Paul Rosenberg, Betty Parsons, Sidney Janis, and Leo Castelli; and befriends avid collectors, including the incomparable Duncan Phillips. You’ll follow Neuberger as he strives to further the cause of contemporary American artists by exhibiting, lending, and donating from his growing collection, and becoming an activist for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney. You’ll also see how the Neuberger Museum of Art was created at the urging of Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and how it continues to fascinate art enthusiasts today. Part personal memoir, part history of art, The Passionate Collector offers a unique view of twentieth–century American art from a man who has lived it.

PREFACE. INTRODUCTION. CHAPTER ONE: Memories of Paris in the 1920s. CHAPTER TWO: A Collection Begins. CHAPTER THREE: Working with the Whitney. CHAPTER FOUR: The Great Dealers. CHAPTER FIVE: MoMA: Modern Art Comes of Age. CHAPTER SIX: The Collectors. CHAPTER SEVEN: My Love Affair with the Metropolitan. CHAPTER EIGHT: The Neuberger Museum of Art. CHAPTER NINE: Advice for Young (Under Ninety–Nine) Collectors. INDEX.

ROY R. NEUBERGER is one of the most successful, esteemed, and long–lived investors on Wall Street. Mr. Neuberger founded the $55 billion money management firm of Neuberger Berman in 1939, and in 1950 he established the Guardian Mutual Fund. He has an extraordinary record of success as a savvy investor and businessman, as well as philanthropist and patron of the arts. ALFRED AND ROMA CONNABLE, partners in marriage and writing for forty years, also assisted their friend Roy Neuberger on his previous book, So Far So Good–The First 94 Years, also from Wiley.