Ileana Sonnabend
Encyclopedia
Ileana Sonnabend was a dealer of 20th century art. She ran a contemporary art gallery in Paris
during the early 1960s. After leaving Paris, she opened a Sonnabend Gallery in New York City in 1971, at 420 West Broadway, in SoHo
. In the late 1999s, the gallery moved to Chelsea
and continued to be active until Sonnabend's death.
who she met in Bucharest in 1932 and married soon after. The couple had a daughter, Nina Sundell. She and her husband left Europe during the 1940s and settled in New York City. During the 1940s her mother Marianne Schapira divorced her father and met and married the Russian born American
painter John D. Graham
(who was a mentor figure to artists such as Jackson Pollock
, Willem de Kooning
, and Arshile Gorky
). Graham also became a mentor to Ileana and his son-in-law Leo Castelli by introducing them to his artist friends in the New York art world. After divorcing Leo Castelli (with whom she remained lifelong friends) in 1959 she married Michael Sonnabend whom she had met during the 1940s.
In 1971, she opened a contemporary art gallery in New York
, the Sonnabend Gallery. She exhibited Gilbert and George
, Jeff Koons
, Mario Merz
and Jannis Kounellis
, among others.
After Sonnabend’s death in October 2007 at the age of 92, her heirs sold a portion of her postwar-art collection for $600 million—reportedly the largest private sale in history.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
during the early 1960s. After leaving Paris, she opened a Sonnabend Gallery in New York City in 1971, at 420 West Broadway, in SoHo
SoHo
SoHo is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, notable for being the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, and also, more recently, for the wide variety of stores and shops ranging from trendy boutiques to outlets of upscale national and international chain stores...
. In the late 1999s, the gallery moved to Chelsea
Chelsea, Manhattan
Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The district's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, 30th Street to the north, the western boundary of the Ladies' Mile Historic District – which lies between the Avenue of the Americas and...
and continued to be active until Sonnabend's death.
Life and work
Sonnabend was, for many years, married to Leo CastelliLeo Castelli
Leo Castelli was an American art dealer. He was best known to the public as an art dealer whose gallery showcased cutting edge Contemporary art for five decades...
who she met in Bucharest in 1932 and married soon after. The couple had a daughter, Nina Sundell. She and her husband left Europe during the 1940s and settled in New York City. During the 1940s her mother Marianne Schapira divorced her father and met and married the Russian born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
painter John D. Graham
John D. Graham
John D. Graham was a Ukrainian-born American Modernist / figurative painter.He was born Ivan Gratianovitch Dombrowsky in Kiev, Ukraine...
(who was a mentor figure to artists such as Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock
Paul Jackson Pollock , known as Jackson Pollock, was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. He was regarded as a mostly reclusive artist. He had a volatile personality, and...
, Willem de Kooning
Willem de Kooning
Willem de Kooning was a Dutch American abstract expressionist artist who was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands....
, and Arshile Gorky
Arshile Gorky
Arshile Gorky was an Armenian-born American painter who had a seminal influence on Abstract Expressionism. As such, his works were often speculated to have been informed by the suffering and loss he experienced of the Armenian genocide.-Early life:...
). Graham also became a mentor to Ileana and his son-in-law Leo Castelli by introducing them to his artist friends in the New York art world. After divorcing Leo Castelli (with whom she remained lifelong friends) in 1959 she married Michael Sonnabend whom she had met during the 1940s.
In 1971, she opened a contemporary art gallery in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the Sonnabend Gallery. She exhibited Gilbert and George
Gilbert and George
Gilbert & George are two artists who work together as a collaborative duo. Gilbert Proesch and George Passmore have become famous for their distinctive, highly formal appearance and manner and their brightly coloured graphic-style photo-based artworks.-Early life:Gilbert Proesch was...
, Jeff Koons
Jeff Koons
Jeffrey "Jeff" Koons is an American artist known for his reproductions of banal objects—such as balloon animals produced in stainless steel with mirror finish surfaces....
, Mario Merz
Mario Merz
Mario Merz was an Italian artist, and husband of Marisa Merz.-Life:Born in Milan, Merz started drawing during World War II, when he was imprisoned for his activities with the Giustizia e Libertà antifascist group. He experimented with a continuous graphic stroke–not removing his pencil point from...
and Jannis Kounellis
Jannis Kounellis
Jannis Kounellis was born on March 23, 1936 in Piraeus, Greece. He studied in art college in Athens until 1956 and at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome....
, among others.
After Sonnabend’s death in October 2007 at the age of 92, her heirs sold a portion of her postwar-art collection for $600 million—reportedly the largest private sale in history.