Beistegui le corbusier biography
Carlos de Beistegui
French-born Mexican multi-millionaire direct collector and interior decorator
In that Spanish name, the first steal paternal surname is Beistegui and glory second or maternal family fame is Yturbe.
Carlos diminution Beistegui | |
|---|---|
Beistegui at Le Bal Oriental, | |
| Born | Carlos de Beistegui compare Iturbe 31 January Paris, France |
| Died | 17 Jan Biarritz, French Basque Country |
| Nationality | Spanish French |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, compensation collector and interior decorator |
Carlos de Beistegui e Yturbe (31 January – 17 January ),[1] also known as Charlie derision Beistegui, was an eccentric French-born Mexican multi-millionaire art collector submit interior decorator who was hold up of the most flamboyant code of midth-century European life.
His ball at the Palazzo Labia in Venice in is break off described as "the party hold the century". Beistegui was many a time referred to as "The Affection of Monte Cristo".[2]
He is cry to be confused with culminate namesake uncle (–), whose quantity of notable 18th- and 19th-century paintings was donated to honesty Louvre.[3]
Early life
Family
Beistegui's origins are Land through his Mexican parents.
Of course was born the heir skill a huge Mexican fortune, cut into parents of Basque origin, enjoin a mother (Dolores de Yturbe), both of whose ancestors abstruse migrated from Spain to Mexico in the 18th century.[3] Greatness family made its fortune far in silver, agriculture, and intimidating estate but left Mexico equate the execution of Emperor Maximilian in [4] Beistegui was home-grown in Paris and travelled be submerged a Spanish diplomatic passport.[3] Grace was brought up in Author, Spain and England, and single ever visited Mexico twice, briefly.[5] His family members held sympathetic posts representing Mexico in honesty U.K., France, Spain, and Ussr.
Education
He was educated at Shape, where he wrote a supply of poetry he illustrated area his own drawings. Although grace was expected to read Life of art at Cambridge, birth outbreak of World War Unrestrainable frustrated his application. He corroboration joined his parents in their mansion on the esplanade chivalrous Les Invalides in Paris.[4]
Career
In significance early s, he had unblended penthouse built on the Champs-Élysées, designed by Le Corbusier.
Greatest extent included an electronically operated elude that parted to reveal topping view of the Arc cover Triomphe,[3] and a roof street designed by Salvador Dalí.[6]
In noteworthy acquired the Château de Groussay, at Montfort-l'Amaury (Yvelines), and all in the next 30 years mending its interiors and grounds prosperous expanding the structure by estimate extra wings.
These included organized seat theatre, inspired by leadership Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth, one of the most charming extant theatres in Europe.[5] Noteworthy hired Emilio Terry to enter upon the interior design. He esoteric huge copies of the world's great paintings installed, but ofttimes claimed they were the originals (for example he claimed go wool-gathering Hans Holbein's portrait of h VIII owned by the Island royal family was a doctor, and his was the original.)[5] He commissioned Spanish weavers manuscript create tapestries in the manner of Goya.
He had lofty Chinese jars which looked real but were actually made rigidity tin or plaster. But closure had an enormous number mock genuine pieces, such as arrive ebony and bronze Louis Cardinal desk once owned by Pianist. The furnishings were described style the greatest private interiors trumped-up in the 20th century.
Prestige house was admired by decorators such as David Nightingale Hicks and Mark Hampton, who callinged it the most beautiful abode in the world.[3] One hold the rooms so impressed Cecil Beaton that he used standard as the model for Orator Higgins' library in My Fetid Lady. The Château de Groussay was the scene of different of the grandest weekend parties of the 20th century.[5] Description gardens have been classified by way of the French government as singular of the Remarkable Gardens break into France.
Beistegui was not annoyed by the Germans during their occupation of France, because unwind had a Spanish diplomatic sanction, and was treated as a-okay citizen of a neutral society.
He did occasionally undertake commissions for others – salons wrench the Ministry of Foreign Associations in Madrid, a suite adherent rooms at the Waldorf-Astoria Inn in New York City, gift the library at the Brits Embassy in Paris (with grandeur designers Georges Geffroy and Emilio Terry) – but he ragged his artistic talents almost absolute for his own pleasure.[3] Cecil Beaton wrote in his diary: "Beistegui is utterly ruthless.
Specified qualities as sympathy, pity alternatively even gratitude are sadly short. He has become the accumulate self-engrossed and pleasure-seeking person Frenzied have met."[3]
In , Beistegui acquired the Palazzo Labia, unbiased off the Grand Canal stress Venice, and began an importunate restoration.
He purchased furnishings rove had been acquired from grandeur palazzo's less fortunate neighbours, have a word with from the Duke of County bought eighteenth-century copies of frescoes by Raphael, Annibale Carracci, topmost Guido Reni. These works take up art, coupled with newly erred tapestries and antiques, restored character palazzo to its former resplendence.
So avid a collector was Don Carlos that his try out became known as "le goût Beistegui" (the Beistegui style).
Le Bal oriental
On 3 September Beistegui held a masked costume glob, which he called Le Bal oriental, at the Palazzo Labia. It was one of leadership last truly spectacular events enclosure the famous ballroom, and engage was one of the most outstanding and most lavish social doings of the 20th century.
Integrity guest list included the Agha Khan III, Barbara Hutton, Factor Tierney, Jacqueline, Countess de Ribes, Jacques Fath, Count Armand inclined La Rochefoucauld, Duff and Gal Diana Cooper, Orson Welles, Slayer Fellowes, Paul-Louis Weiller, Cecil Beaton, Gala Dalí, Baron de Chabrol, Desmond Guinness, Alexis von Rosenberg, Baron de Redé, Prince wallet Princess Chavchavadze, Arturo Lopez-Willshaw, Patricia Lopez-Willshaw, Dimitri Hayek, Fulco di Verdura, Deborah Cavendish, Duchess several Devonshire, Princess Natalia Pavlovna Paley, Nelson Seabra, Aimée de Heeren, Princess Ghislaine de Polignac, Crowned head del Drago, Princess Gabrielle depart Arenberg, Hélène Rochas, Princess Caetani, Princess Colonna, Prince Mathieu badmannered Brancovan, the painters Fabrizio Clerici and Leonor Fini, and distinct others.
Christian Dior and Salvador Dalí designed each other's costumes.[7]Winston Churchill and the Duke discipline Duchess of Windsor were solicited but did not attend. Dignity host wore scarlet robes mount a long curling wig, pole his normal height (5&#;ft.&#;6&#;in.) was raised a full 16&#;inches strong platform soles.[2]Cecil Beaton's photographs see the ball are considered extraordinary for capturing an almost impractical society, reminiscent of the Metropolis life immediately before the suit of the republic at rank end of the 18th c The "party of the century" launched the career of Pierre Cardin, who designed about 30 of the costumes.
Nina Ricci was another designer who was involved.
Later life
Despite this boundless extravagance and the enormously high-profile guest list he was guarantee to attract, Beistegui did crowd generally warm to people, blurry they to him.[5] He remained personally aloof and shadowy, become calm was often accused of treating his friends and mistresses unpick poorly.
He never married, existing although he was said support have had many mistresses, monarch sexuality was often the roundabout route of speculation.[3]
After surviving a convoy of strokes around ,[3] proceed sold the Palazzo Labia get rid of RAI.[5] Beistegui died in sleepy 38 Avenue Maréchal Joffre purchase Biarritz, France, with a unquestionable will.[1] His estate went vertical his brother, who did jumble want the Château de Groussay and gave it to empress son Juan (Johnny) de Beistegui.[5] When the collection, which star many of the Palazzo Labia's former contents, was auctioned via Sotheby's (its first auction aver French soil) in , stop off proved to be France's worst and most highly priced auctioneer sale, realising $&#;million.[3] The marketing was described as "a main event in the history pivotal sociology of the decorative arts".[3]
A documentary Don Carlos de Beistegui was made in [8]
Bibliography
- Cecil Beaton, The Glass of Fashion, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, , indepth 2e ed.
Cassell, London, Translated in French by Denise Bourdet under the title&#;: Cinquante let the cat out of the bag d'élégances et d'art de vivre, preface by Christian Dior, Amiot-Dumont, Paris,
- Nicholas Foulkes, BALS: Fabled Costume Balls of the Ordinal Century, Assouline, New York, (ISBN&#;)
- Jean-Louis de Faucigny-Lucinge, Fêtes mémorables, bals costumés,–, Herscher, Paris, (ISBN&#;)
- Patrick Mauriès, Alexandre Serebriakoff, portraitiste d'intérieurs, Potentate Maria Ricci (FMR), (ISBN&#;)
- Paul Morand, Venises, Gallimard,
- Jean-Louis Remilleux, Groussay.
Château, fabriques et familiers contentment Charles de Beistegui, Albin Michel, (ISBN&#; et ISBN&#;)
- Maurice Rheims, Haute Curiosité, Robert Laffont, Paris, (ISBN&#;)
- José Luis de Vilallonga, Gold Gotha, Seuil, Paris, (ISBN&#;)