Talk:Roy Neuberger/Archives/2013

Revert to include religious preference

In regards to 70.110.153.140's edit:

Neuberger's LACK of religion is important to him - he originally opposed his son's choice in the matter, and is very open about his atheism. However, aside from speculating how much Neuberger himself might want this included in the article, his religion has been the subject of controversy (such as in the alternative version below) and is worth encyclopedic mention. --Explodicle 02:48, 16 October 2005 (UTC)

Edit by 70.110.178.197

I've reverted the page to an earlier version. 70.110.178.197 seems to have just pasted on Neuberger's preferred version (below). While this isn't a _bad_ version of the article, a lot of what we had was deleted in the process. Whoever made the edit, if you're reading this, please make whatever contributions you feel are needed by improving on the existing article, not by just replacing it. --Explodicle 19:09, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Neuberger's preferred version

The following is Neuberger's preferred version of the article posted on the vfd page by Neuberger's lawyer. I thought I'd preserve it here. Some of this content may in fact be useful, although Neuberger's attitude is obviously arrogant and offensive.--Bcrowell 20:23, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Kaufman Gartner, p.c. ATTORNEYS AT LAW 114 West 47th Street, 22nd Floor NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10036 TELEPHONE: (212) 575-4886 Ÿ FAX: (212) 575-5979

                                                                                       August 9, 2005

To: Wikipedia

The article about Roy Neuberger should be deleted immediately for the following reasons: it contains a malicious, personal attack on Mr. Neuberger and his son, Roy S. Neuberger, and entirely falsifies their relationship - which is close and not at all estranged - and contains anti-Semitic overtones. Mere editing will be insufficient, because the earlier version would always be accessible. The article is causing family members great pain and must be deleted; it serves no good purpose to let it remain online. The attached article contains accurate information about Mr. Neuberger and should replace the deleted article.

Sincerely, James Kaufman Esq. Attorney for Roy R. Neuberger and Family 70.110.155.253 18:39, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Roy Neuberger (born July 21, 1903) is an American financier who has contributed to the cause of public awareness and publicity of modern art through acquisition of painting and sculpture and donation of many pieces of art to educational institutions and museums. He is the founding partner and eponym of the investment firm Neuberger & Berman.

Neuberger was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and spent his childhood in New York. He was orphaned at the age of 12. He describes himself as having been interested during high school in tennis and "the ladies". He matriculated at New York University, originally to study journalism, but grew restless and dropped out without obtaining a degree.

His first job was working at B. Altman's, then the leading Manhattan department store. There he learned the ins and outs of business.

Leaving his job at Altman's, he sailed to Europe at age 20 on an inheritance from his parents and went to live in Paris. He lived his bohemian, Roaring Twenties existence there, where he visited the Louvre three times a week and met his lifelong friend Meyer Shapiro. He studied art in Paris and throughout Europe.

In 1928 he read Floret Fels' biography of Vincent Van Gogh. Neuberger was startled when he learned how Van Gogh had only sold one painting, and was heartstricken to learn that Van Gogh, like so many other artists, had lived in pain, poverty and misery. Thousands of excellent artists were suffering in obscurity and the world might never know what they had created. Neuberger wanted a way to give deserving but unknown artists a chance at fame, recognition and financial success.

To accomplish this, Neuberger decided to go "where the money is." He moved back to the United States and entered Wall Street in 1929, seven months before Black Tuesday. He started out with the firm of Halle & Steiglitz and sold RCA shares short, right through the stock market crash at the beginning of the Great Depression. He founded Neuberger & Berman in 1939 with Robert Berman. By then he was in a position to make his first major acquisition, Peter Hurd's Boy from the Plains. He allowed Nelson Rockefeller, another avid art collector, to use Boy from the Plains in a travelling American art exhibition. Rockefeller's exhibition travelled to South America.

Among the other major artists whose works Neuberger collected are Jackson Pollock, Ben Shahn, William Baziotes, Alexander Calder, Stuart Davis,Louis Eilshemius, Edward Hopper, Jacob Lawrence, Jack Levine, David Smith and especially Milton Avery. Neuberger purchased dozens of Averys, the first of which was Gaspé Landscape, which he bought during a snowstorm. The artist wrapped it carefully to protect the canvas in the way home. It still hangs in Neuberger's apartment to this day.

Neuberger also began donating works to institutions, among them the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum as well as many college and university museums.

Neuberger's friend and fellow collector Nelson Rockefeller, when he became governor of New York arranged for the donation of a substantial portion of Neuberger's collection to the state. To this end, he established a Neuberger Museum of Art as part of the State University of New York. Designed by architectPhilip Johnson, the Neuberger Museum opened on the SUNY Purchase College campus and opened in 1974.

Neuberger was married for over 60 years to the late Marie Salant Neuberger, also a distinguished patron of the arts. Together they had three children and many grandchildren.

}} 70.110.155.253 19:26, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

He is still alive at 107 years old. What an english sentence!!! needs to be removed suggestion: He is still alive and kicking at an extremely high age.. Or: Roy Neuberger celebrates his 107. birthday today. Seb

NPOVing

I've deleted some of the more POV or implausible statements from the article. Although Neuberger had his lawyers post a vfd and make legal threats, it seemed clear to me that the article was way too POV in Neuberger's favor. A lot of it was very fannish, IMO.--Bcrowell 20:47, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Vote for Deletion

This article survived a Vote for Deletion. The discussion can be found here. -Splash 01:55, 16 August 2005 (UTC)