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Roy R. Neuberger
In his early years, he dropped out of New York University to pursue a career in business instead. He worked at the Manhattan department store, B. Altmans, where he learned his business skills selling paintings. This developed his life long love of art.
After Altman's, Neuberger went to Europe at the age of 20, and went to live in Paris, during the bohemian Roaring Twenties. He painted and studied art during this period. He was taken aback by the biography of Vincent Van Gogh, which he read in 1928 and was startled to realise that most obscure artists lived in poverty. He was determined to give the artists of his day a break, a chance at fame and worthy recognition.
To do this, Neuberger vowed to use his business skills to aquire wealth, and thus to enable him to become a patron of artists. He went back to the U.S. and went to work on Wall Street in 1929, seven months before Black Tuesday. He shorted RCA stock right through the Great Depression, which built up enough wealth for him to found the money management firm of Neuberger and Berman in 1939.
In 1950 he established the Guardian Mutual Fund, one of the first no-load mutual funds. In his 68 years on Wall Street he has never had a losing year.
Amongst the artists propelled to fame through Neubergers purchases and promotion were Jackson Pollock, Ben Shahn, Jack Levine, Edward Hopper and Milton Avery. Neuberger has donated works to many museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art , both in New York.
He was friends with Nelson Rockefeller, who was also an avid art collector, with whom he co-founded the Neuberger Museum of Art.
Profile of Roy R. Neuberger
Biography
Roy Neuberger was born in 1903, and founded the $50 billion money management firm of Neuberger & Berman in 1939.In his early years, he dropped out of New York University to pursue a career in business instead. He worked at the Manhattan department store, B. Altmans, where he learned his business skills selling paintings. This developed his life long love of art.
After Altman's, Neuberger went to Europe at the age of 20, and went to live in Paris, during the bohemian Roaring Twenties. He painted and studied art during this period. He was taken aback by the biography of Vincent Van Gogh, which he read in 1928 and was startled to realise that most obscure artists lived in poverty. He was determined to give the artists of his day a break, a chance at fame and worthy recognition.
To do this, Neuberger vowed to use his business skills to aquire wealth, and thus to enable him to become a patron of artists. He went back to the U.S. and went to work on Wall Street in 1929, seven months before Black Tuesday. He shorted RCA stock right through the Great Depression, which built up enough wealth for him to found the money management firm of Neuberger and Berman in 1939.
In 1950 he established the Guardian Mutual Fund, one of the first no-load mutual funds. In his 68 years on Wall Street he has never had a losing year.
Amongst the artists propelled to fame through Neubergers purchases and promotion were Jackson Pollock, Ben Shahn, Jack Levine, Edward Hopper and Milton Avery. Neuberger has donated works to many museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art , both in New York.
He was friends with Nelson Rockefeller, who was also an avid art collector, with whom he co-founded the Neuberger Museum of Art.
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