Joseph Hirshhorn
Joseph Herman Hirshhorn | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 11, 1899 Mitau, Latvia |
| Died | August 31, 1981 (aged 82) |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, financier, art collector |
| Known for | Founder of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden |
Joseph Herman Hirshhorn (August 11, 1899 – August 31, 1981) was a prominent businessman, financier, and art collector.
Biography
Hirshhorn was born in Mitau, Latvia, as the twelfth child among thirteen siblings. At the age of six, he emigrated to the United States with his widowed mother. He was of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage.
Beginning his career on Wall Street as an office boy at 14, Hirshhorn became a stockbroker by the age of 17 and earned $168,000 in 1916. Demonstrating keen investment acumen, he liquidated his Wall Street assets two months prior to the 1929 market crash, securing $4 million in cash. He accumulated his wealth primarily through ventures in mining and oil, focusing during the 1930s on gold and uranium mining operations in Canada, where he established an office in Toronto in 1933.
In collaboration with geologist Franc Joubin during the 1950s, Hirshhorn played a key role in the discovery of the "Big Z" uranium deposit in northeastern Ontario and contributed to the establishment of Elliot Lake. A street there bears his name—Hirshhorn Avenue. By 1960, after divesting from uranium holdings, his earnings from that sector exceeded $100 million.
Between 1961 and 1976, Hirshhorn lived in a three-story Norman-style chateau situated on an estate atop Round Hill in north-central Greenwich, offering panoramic views of Manhattan’s skyline.
Art collecting
As his financial success expanded, Hirshhorn began collecting paintings and sculptures from the 19th and 20th centuries. He approached art acquisition with seriousness, seeking advice from dealers, critics, and artists alike, making prompt purchasing decisions. He once remarked, "If you've got to look at a picture a dozen times before you make up your mind, there's something wrong with you or the picture."
His residence in Greenwich showcased works by artists such as Joseph Glasco, Willem de Kooning, Raphael Soyer, Jackson Pollock, Larry Rivers, and Thomas Eakins. The surrounding grounds featured sculptures by renowned figures including Auguste Rodin, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Alberto Giacometti, Alexander Calder, George Rickey, and Henry Moore. He allowed nonprofit organizations to utilize his sculpture garden for fundraising tours.
In 1966, Hirshhorn gifted approximately 6,000 paintings and sculptures—among the largest private collections globally—to the United States government along with a $2 million endowment. The Smithsonian Institution created the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., to display this collection; it officially opened in 1974. Upon his passing in 1981, he bequeathed an additional 6,000 artworks and a $5 million endowment to support the museum.
Controversy
Hirshhorn's business dealings in Canada encountered legal challenges. He was investigated by the Ontario Securities Commission and faced two convictions for breaching Canadian foreign exchange regulations. He was deported due to illegal stock manipulation activities; however, this decision was later reversed when he obtained landed immigrant status. Additionally, he was fined for unlawful securities transactions and for smuggling cash out of Canada.
Personal life
In 1922, Hirshhorn married Jennie Berman; they separated in 1941 after having four children: Robin Gertrude (born 1923), Gene Harriet (born 1926), Gordon (born 1929), and Naomi Caryl (born 1931). From 1947 until 1956, he was wed to portraitist and illustrator Lily Harmon; during this marriage they adopted two daughters: Amy (born 1948) and Jo Ann (born 1951). His third marriage was to Brenda Hawley Heide. In 1964, he married his fourth wife, Olga Zatorsky, remaining married to her until his death in 1981.
References
- Hyams, Barry, 1979, Hirshhorn, Medici from Brooklyn: A biography. Dutton,
External links
- American mining entrepreneurs
- American art patrons
- Philanthropists of the 20th century in America
- 1899 births
- 1981 deaths
- Jewish art patrons
- American stock market professionals
- American individuals of Latvian-Jewish heritage
- Immigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States
- Latvian Jewish community
- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
- 20th-century American entrepreneurs
- Business figures from Brooklyn
- Business figures from Greenwich, Connecticut
- American mining businesspeople