G. David Thompson
George David Thompson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Newark, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | June 26, 1965 (aged 66) |
| Occupation(s) | Investment banker, industrialist, art collector |
| Years active | 1920s–1965 |
| Known for | Investment banking, steel industry leadership, modern art collection |
George David Thompson (March 20, 1899 – June 26, 1965) was a prominent American investment banker, industrial magnate, and collector of modern art, primarily active in Pittsburgh. Beginning his career in banking, he had expanded his influence by 1945 to oversee four steel manufacturing plants. In 1959, after the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh declined his proposal to donate over 600 artworks—due to their refusal to construct a gallery named after him—he proceeded to sell a significant portion of his collection, including 88 pieces by Paul Klee and 70 by Alberto Giacometti. Upon his passing in 1965, he bequeathed more than 100 artworks to the Carnegie Museum.
Early life
Thompson was born in Newark, Ohio in 1899 and raised in Indiana, completing his secondary education in Peru, Indiana. Although initially considering a career in singing, he ultimately pursued and earned an engineering degree from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1920.
Career
Starting as an investment banker in New York City, Thompson co-established the firm Thompson and Taylor in 1933. During the economic challenges of the Great Depression, the company acquired multiple steel producers, such as Pittsburgh Spring Steel Company and Pittsburgh Steel Foundry Company. By the mid-1940s, he had control over four steel enterprises. Renowned for his firm negotiation skills, Thompson also applied strategic approaches to building his art collection, securing works directly from artists including Giacometti.
Art collector
Thompson’s initial major acquisition was a painting by Paul Klee in 1928. By 1936, his acquisitions expanded to include artists like Chagall, Utrillo, and Gromaire. When he reached sixty years old, his collection comprised over 600 pieces of modern art. Among his contributions was Jean Metzinger's Le Fumeur, which he donated to the Carnegie Museum of Art in 1953.
His intention was for the collection to remain in Pittsburgh; however, the Carnegie Museum refused his donation because it did not agree to build a gallery bearing his name. This refusal is considered to have deprived Pittsburgh of a collection valued at approximately $350 million by 2006 standards. Consequently, dealers such as Ernst Beyeler acquired significant portions of Thompson’s holdings.
In 1960, through Beyeler, the museum in Düsseldorf obtained 88 Klee works from Thompson. Additionally, he sold his entire Alberto Giacometti collection—comprising 70 pieces—to Beyeler, which were subsequently allocated among leading Swiss institutions.
In May 1961, New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum showcased "One Hundred Paintings from the G. David Thompson Collection," featuring artists including Cézanne, Monet, Picasso (with twelve works), among others.
Ultimately, Thompson donated more than one hundred artworks to the Carnegie Museum of Art; these included pieces by Adolph Gottlieb, Josef Albers, Willem de Kooning, Jean Metzinger, and Henry Moore. He also presented works to New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), such as Claes Oldenburg’s creations and Picasso's Two Nudes (1906). In December 1960, he was appointed a trustee of MoMA and maintained this role until his death.
Following Thompson’s passing, Parke-Bernet Galleries conducted an auction in March 1966 featuring ninety paintings and eighteen sculptures from his collection—hailed as "the most significant assembly of 20th-century art ever offered at auction simultaneously."
Personal life
George David Thompson and his wife Helene resided at Stone's Throw, located at 4554 Brownsville Road in Whitehall, a suburb of Pittsburgh.
Their son, G. David Thompson Jr., died in 1958; in remembrance, two Henry Moore sculptures were donated—one to Harvard University and another to the Carnegie Museum of Art. Additionally, Thompson contributed works by Alberto Burri, Franz Kline, Robert Motherwell, Karel Appel, and Victor Vasarely as tributes to his son.
Helene Thompson died in September 1982.