Ezra Nahmad

Ezra Nahmad
Born	1945 Beirut, Lebanon
Occupation(s)	Art dealer, art collector
Years active	1960s–present
Known for	Billionaire art dealer and collector
Notable work	Collection of modern and impressionist art including works by Monet, Matisse, Renoir, Rothko, Picasso, Braque, and Gris

Ezra Nahmad (born 1945) is a billionaire art dealer and collector of Syrian heritage, based in Monaco. He lives in Monte Carlo, Monaco, and as of April 2023, his net worth is approximated at US$1.8 billion.

Biography

Ezra was born in Beirut, Lebanon, into a Sephardic Jewish family with origins in Aleppo, Syria. His father, Hillel Nahmad, a banker, remained in Aleppo until after the Second World War. The family moved to Beirut following anti-Jewish unrest in Syria in 1949. During the early 1960s, as regional instability grew, Ezra along with his brothers Joseph and David relocated to Milan, Italy. While still teenagers, they embarked on careers in art dealing and trading on the Italian stock exchange.

A pivotal moment in Ezra's career came at a Juan Gris exhibition held in Rome by cubist art dealer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler. Ezra and Joseph acquired two artworks—the only pieces sold at the event—and later expanded their collection with works by Picasso, Braque, and Gris, purchased through Kahnweiler. Due to escalating threats from the Red Brigades terrorist group during the 1970s, the family adjusted their business strategy: Ezra and Joseph settled in Monaco, whereas David moved to New York City.

Art collection

By 2013, Ezra and his brother David had established themselves as prominent "mega-dealers" specializing in modern and impressionist art, dealing with masterpieces by Monet, Matisse, Renoir, and Rothko. Their collection comprises between 4,000 and 4,500 pieces stored at the duty-free Geneva Freeport warehouse in Switzerland. The brothers mainly conduct transactions through auction houses. In 2007, Forbes valued their collection at approximately $7 to 8 billion. According to a 2015 ranking of billionaires, Ezra and David were identified as the wealthiest individuals residing in Monaco.

During the Panama Papers revelations of 2016, Ezra Nahmad was connected to offshore entities owned by his family that were implicated in tax evasion schemes and manipulation within the art market.

Personal life

Ezra Nahmad is married to Marie Nahmad and lives in Monaco with their four children. His son Helly Nahmad operates as an art dealer based in London, while his daughter Michaela is married to investor Nathaniel Meyohas. His cousin was the Brazilian banker Edmond Safra.