Samuel Courtauld (art collector)
| Samuel Courtauld | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 May 1876 |
| Died | 1 December 1947 |
| Residence | London |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Industrialist |
| Known for | Art Collector, Founder of Courtauld Institute |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Theresa Frances Kelsey (known as Lil) |
| Parent(s) | Sydney Courtauld and Sarah Lucy Sharpe |
Samuel Courtauld (7 May 1876 – 1 December 1947) was an English industrialist who is best remembered as an art collector. He founded the Courtauld Institute of Art in London in 1932 and, after a series of gifts during the 1930s, bequeathed his collection to it upon his death.
By the early 20th century, the Courtauld family business had become a major international company, having successfully developed and marketed rayon, an artificial fibre and inexpensive silk substitute. Samuel Courtauld took charge of the firm from 1908 as general manager and as chairman from 1921 to 1946.
Courtauld was the son of Sydney Courtauld (10 March 1840 – 20 October 1899) and Sarah Lucy Sharpe (1844–1906), and the great-nephew of textile magnate Samuel Courtauld. He was educated at Rugby School. After he finished school he went to Germany and France and studied textile technology to prepare to work in the family business. In 1901, he became director of one of the factories (in Halstead, Essex), then in 1908 the CEO of all plants of the company.
He became interested in art after seeing the Hugh Lane collection on exhibition at the Tate Gallery in 1917. However, his career as a collector started in 1922 following an exhibition of French art at the Burlington Fine Arts Club. Courtauld was one of the first collectors to display interest in French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. During the 1920s, he assembled an extensive collection including masterpieces by Vincent van Gogh (Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear) or (Peach Blossom in the Crau) previously owned by Anna Boch,Édouard Manet (A Bar at the Folies-Bergère), Paul Cézanne (Montagne Sainte-Victoire) and Pierre-Auguste Renoir (La Loge). The core elements of his collection were accumulated between 1926 and 1930, though his passion dwindled somewhat following the death of his wife Elizabeth (known as Lil) in 1931. Samuel founded the Courtauld Institute with Viscount Lee of Fareham and Sir Robert Witt in 1930.
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