William Acquavella

Last updated
William “Bill” Acquavella
Born1937or1938(age 85–86) [1]
NationalityAmerican
OccupationArt dealer
Known for Acquavella Galleries
Spouses
  • Hope Brown (m. 1966)
  • Donna Acquavella
Children3
Parents
Acquavella Galleries Acquavella Galleries 18 E79 jeh.jpg
Acquavella Galleries

William Raymond Acquavella (born 1937/38) is an American art dealer and gallerist, and the head of Acquavella Galleries.

Contents

Early life

William Raymond Acquavella [2] is the son of Nicholas Acquavella, who founded Acquavella Galleries in 1921, [3] [4] and Edythe Acquavella. [1] He was educated at Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut. [1]

Career

In 1992, he became Lucian Freud's dealer, agreeing to settle Freud's £2.7 million in gambling debts. [5]

Acquavella negotiated the sale of a Picasso painting from Steve Wynn to Steve Cohen for $139 million, but it fell through when Wynn put his elbow through the painting. [4]

Forbes included Acquavella in their 2012 list of the top ten art dealers. [6]

Personal life

Acquavella's own art collection is "dominated by Picasso, Matisse, and Miró", [3] as well as Bonnard and Léger. [4]

On May 21, 1966, in Shelburne, Vermont, Acquavella married Hope Brown, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Archibald M. Brown. [2] In 2000, their daughter Eleanor Hope Acquavella, then treasurer of Acquavella Galleries, married Morgan Andre Grace Dejoux. [7]

Before 1990, Acquavella married his second wife, Donna. [1] He has three children. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Self-Effacing William Acquavella, Who Struck Art's Biggest Deal". The New York Times. 10 May 1990. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Bridal Held for Hope Brown And William R. Acquavella". New York Times. May 22, 1966. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  3. 1 2 "William Acquavella on Lucian Freud's Legacy and the Painting He Never Sold to Mick Jagger". vogue.com. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 "The Players' Club". townandcountrymag.com. 19 December 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  5. "A portrait of the artists as a pair of young wastrels - Standpoint". www.standpointmag.co.uk. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  6. Noer, Michael. "William Acquavella, 74 - pg.10". Forbes. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  7. "WEDDINGS; Eleanor Acquavella, Morgan Dejoux". New York Times. September 10, 2000. Retrieved 23 May 2020.