Gabriel Cognacq
Gabriel Cognacq (October 9, 1880, Paris – June 7, 1951, Seraincourt) was a French department store owner, art collector, and philanthropist.
Biography
He was born into a modest family of retail employees. After completing his basic education at Collège Stanislas, he attended HEC Paris where, in 1904, he earned a Doctorate in Law. Since 1902, [1]he had been working at La Samaritaine, a department store founded in 1869 by Ernest Cognacq and his wife Marie-Louise Jaÿ, Gabriel's great-uncle and aunt. As they had no children, they adopted Gabriel and made him their sole heir. In 1911, he married Jeanne Voelckel. They had one son, Philippe (1914–2012).[2]
From 1914 to 1918, he served in World War I. While he was away, in 1916, Ernest and Marie-Louise established the Cognacq-Jay Foundation, a charitable organization supporting retirement homes, hospitals, and schools. Following Ernest's death in 1928, Gabriel took over the management of La Samaritaine and the Foundation.
Ernest and Marie-Louise had also amassed an important art collection, much of which was donated to the city of Paris. Since 1929, this collection, primarily composed of 18th-century decorative arts, has been displayed at the Cognacq-Jay Museum. The more recent works and Asian crafts were inherited by Gabriel. He soon expanded the collection, notably acquiring a large number of prints. During the 1930s, he supported other museums, purchased property for the proposed Bourdelle Museum, and served as president of the Rodin Museum. In 1938, he was elected to the Academy of Fine Arts of France, occupying seat number 6 in the "Unattached Members" section. He was also a member of numerous artistic societies and was elected president of the Council of National Museums.[3]
During the Spanish Civil War, he assisted the Prado Museum in transporting its collection to Geneva. In 1939, after France declared war on Germany, he made La Samaritaine's delivery vans available to the Louvre to transport its collection to the relative safety of Château de Chambord. He continued to support charitable causes throughout the war. In 1941, he was appointed to the National Council of Vichy France. When the Vichy government fell, he was accused of collaboration. The resulting public hostility led him to auction off his art collection instead of donating it to the Louvre, as he had originally planned. The proceeds were given to the Foundation.
Further reading
- Francis Rouget: "The Gabriel Cognacq Collection at the Galerie Charpentier", in: Le Monde, April 30, 1952
- Louis Hautecœur: Notice on the Life and Works of Gabriel Cognacq. Académie des Beaux-Arts. Didot, Paris 1953