Who is Emily Fisher Landau? Wiki, Age, Net Worth, Husband, Kids, Family, BIO

Emily Fisher Landau (born in 1921 – died on 27 March 2023, Aged: 102 years old) was a prominent figure in the realm of American art patronage and collecting in contemporary history. She passed away at the notable age of 102 on March 27, 2023, leaving a stunning legacy of art for generations to come.

She was renowned for her dynamic collection of modern and contemporary art, that featured some of the 20th century’s most inspirational artists. She was also a generous donor and trustee of the Whitney Museum of American Art, where she made a historic pledge of nearly 400 works in 2010. In this article, we will explore her life, achievements, and personal details.

Early Life and Education

Emily Fisher Landau was born in 1921 in Glens Falls, New York, and grew up in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan. Her father was a real estate developer and her mother was a homemaker.

She had a brother, Richard Fisher, who later became a partner in the family business, Fisher Brothers. She attended the Ethical Culture Fieldston School and the Calhoun School but did not pursue higher education. She aspired to become an artist, but her father sent her to secretarial school instead.

Marriage, Husband & Daughters

Emily Fisher first married Martin Fisher, a principal in the real estate firm of Fisher Brothers, in 1941. They had three children: Candia, Philip, and Richard. Candia Fisher is a longtime member of the board of trustees of the Public Theater and a supporter of various cultural and educational institutions. Philip Fisher is a real estate developer and a trustee of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.

Richard Fisher is a former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and a senior advisor at Barclays. Emily and Martin Fisher were married for 35 years until his death in 1976.

In 1981, Landau married Sheldon Landau, a lawyer and art collector. They shared a passion for contemporary art and traveled extensively to visit artists and museums. They also supported various causes, such as dyslexia research and treatment, through the Fisher Landau Foundation. Sheldon Landau died in 1999.

Emily Fisher Landau Net Worth

Emily Landau was a wealthy art patron and collector, who amassed a fortune from her family’s real estate business and her own investments. According to some sources, her net worth was estimated to be over $100 million. However, this figure might not reflect the true value of her art collection, which included some of the most iconic and expensive works by modern and contemporary artists.

Some of the income sources of Emily Fisher Landau were:

  • Her inheritance was from her first husband, Martin Fisher, who was a principal in the real estate firm of Fisher Brothers. The firm was founded by her father-in-law and his brothers in 1915 and developed some of the most prestigious buildings in New York, such as Park Avenue Plaza, 1345 Avenue of the Americas, and 299 Park Avenue.
  • Her investments in various fields, such as clothing, jewelry, and art. She was known for her savvy and adventurous approach to buying and selling art, often acquiring works by emerging artists before they became famous and selling them at a profit later. She also invested in the clothing company of her second husband, Sheldon Landau, who was a manufacturer of women’s sportswear.

Art Collection and Patronage

Emily Landau started collecting art informally in the 1960s, with the guidance of her friend and gallery owner Arne Glimcher. She acquired works by Picasso, Léger, and Dubuffet, among others. Her interest in art intensified after a dramatic event in 1969 when armed burglars broke into her apartment and stole her jewelry, which included gifts from her husband and a 39-carat diamond. She decided to use the insurance settlement to buy paintings instead of jewelry and thus began her remarkable journey as an art collector.

She focused on the works of emerging and established artists of the postwar era, especially those who challenged the conventions and boundaries of art. She befriended many artists, such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Robert Mapplethorpe, Keith Haring, Robert Rauschenberg, Louise Nevelson, Cy Twombly, Glenn Ligon, and Nan Goldin, and visited their studios and exhibitions.

She also immersed herself in the art scene of New York, becoming a trustee and donor of the Whitney Museum of American Art, where she supported numerous exhibitions and established an endowment for the Whitney Biennial. She also served on the committees of the Museum of Modern Art, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, and SITE Santa Fe. In 1986, she was appointed a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France, in recognition of her patronage of the arts.

Emily Fisher Landau amassed a collection of over 1,500 works by more than 200 artists, spanning from the 1960s to the 2000s. Her collection included key works by Ellsworth Kelly, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol, Susan Rothenberg, Barbara Kruger, Annette Lemieux, Matthew Barney, Richard Artschwager, Donald Baechler, John Baldessari, Jenny Holzer, Alfredo Jaar, Neil Jenney, Jasper Johns, Donald Judd, Sherrie Levine, Glenn Ligon, Agnes Martin, Robert Rauschenberg, Ed Ruscha, Kiki Smith, and Mark Tansey, among others.

She displayed her collection in her homes in New York and Palm Beach, as well as in her own museum, the Fisher Landau Center for Art, which she opened in 1991 in a former parachute harness factory in Long Island City, Queens. The center was designed by the late English architect Max Gordon, in collaboration with Bill Katz, who also served as the curator of the collection. The center was open to the public until 2017, offering regular exhibitions and educational programs.

In 2010, Emily Landau made a historic pledge of nearly 400 works to the Whitney Museum of American Art, one of the largest donations in the museum’s history. The gift transformed the museum’s collection with seminal works by artists who had shaped the most significant art of the previous 50 years. A selection of these works was exhibited at the Whitney in 2011, in a show titled Legacy: The Emily Fisher Collection, which later traveled to several venues across the United States. The gift also coincided with the museum’s plans to move to a new building in downtown Manhattan, where the fourth-floor galleries were named in her honor.

Death Cause and Obituary

Emily Fisher Landau died on March 27, 2023, in Palm Beach, Florida, at the age of 102. She is survived by her daughter, Candia Fisher, her sons, Philip and Richard Fisher, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren.

She is also remembered by the art world as a visionary collector and a generous patron, who supported the artists and institutions of her time with passion and dedication. Her collection is a testament to her keen eye and adventurous spirit and a valuable contribution to the history and appreciation of contemporary art.

Emily Fisher Landau Wiki/BIO

Full NameEmily Fisher Landau
Date of Birth1921
Date of DeathMarch 27, 2023
Age102 (at the time of death)
Birth PlaceGlens Falls, New York
ProfessionArt Patron and Collector
NationalityAmerican
ReligionJewish
EthnicityAmerican White
SchoolEthical Culture Fieldston School and the Calhoun School
Highest QualificationGraduate
Marital StatusWidowed
HusbandMartin Fisher (1941-1976)
Sheldon Landau (1981-1999)
ChildrenCandia Fisher, Philip Fisher, and Richard Fisher
SiblingsRichard Fisher
Net Worth$100M + (approx)
Cause of DeathNatural Causes
Instagramemilyfisherlandau
WikipediaFisher_Landau_Center
Homepagenewsunzip.com

How Picasso’s “Femme à la montre” Sold for $139.4 Million Despite the Pandemic

On November 9, 2023, a painting by Pablo Picasso titled “Femme à la montre” (Woman with a Watch) sold for $139.4 million at Sotheby’s auction in New York, making it the second-highest price ever paid for a Picasso work and the most expensive artwork sold in 2023.

The portrait of Picasso’s lover and muse, Marie-Thérèse Walter, was part of the Emily Fisher Landau collection, which totaled $406.4 million in sales. The painting, which had been privately held since 1968, attracted three phone bidders who competed for four minutes before an anonymous buyer clinched the deal.

Why is this painting so valuable?

“Femme à la montre” is a masterpiece of Picasso’s art, created in 1937, a pivotal year in his career and in world history. The painting reflects Picasso’s complex and turbulent relationship with Walter, whom he met in 1927 and had a daughter with, while also being involved with another woman, the surrealist photographer Dora Maar.

The painting combines elements of Walter’s profile with Maar’s features, suggesting a transition in Picasso’s affections and a sense of emotional conflict. The painting also belongs to the same period as Picasso’s iconic works “Guernica” and “The Weeping Woman”, which were inspired by the horrors of the Spanish Civil War and the bombing of the Basque town of Guernica by Nazi and Italian forces. The painting thus captures Picasso’s personal and political turmoil, as well as his artistic genius and innovation.

Some Facts About Emily Fisher Landau

  • She aspired to become an artist, but her father sent her to secretarial school instead.
  • She started collecting art informally in the 1960s, with the guidance of her friend and gallery owner Arne Glimcher.
  • She used the insurance settlement from a jewelry theft in her apartment in 1969 to buy paintings instead of jewelry and thus began her remarkable journey as an art collector.
  • She focused on the works of emerging and established artists of the postwar era, especially those who challenged the conventions and boundaries of art.
  • She befriended many artists, such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Robert Mapplethorpe, Keith Haring, Robert Rauschenberg, Louise Nevelson, Cy Twombly, Glenn Ligon, and Nan Goldin, and visited their studios and exhibitions.
  • Fisher became a trustee and donor of the Whitney Museum of American Art, where she supported numerous exhibitions and established an endowment for the Whitney Biennial. She also served on the committees of the Museum of Modern Art, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, and SITE Santa Fe.
  • She opened her own museum, the Fisher Landau Center for Art, in 1991 in a former parachute harness factory in Long Island City, Queens. The center was open to the public until 2017, offering regular exhibitions and educational programs.
  • Emily made a historic pledge of nearly 400 works to the Whitney Museum of American Art in 2010, one of the largest donations in the museum’s history. The gift transformed the museum’s collection with seminal works by artists who had shaped the most significant art of the previous 50 years.
  • Emily was appointed a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France in 1986, in recognition of her patronage of the arts.
  • She established the Fisher Landau Foundation to support research on dyslexia and provide assistance to dyslexic children. Additionally, she founded the Fisher Landau Center for the Treatment of Learning Disabilities for children, adolescents, and adults at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx.
  • Emily displayed her collection in her homes in New York and Palm Beach, as well as in her own museum. She also loaned works to various exhibitions and institutions around the world.
  • She was a close friend and adviser to Bill Katz, who served as the curator of her collection and the designer of her homes.
  • She was painted by Andy Warhol and photographed by Robert Mapplethorpe.
  • Emily Fisher Landau was known for her elegance, wit, and generosity.

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