Gustavus Mayer(1873-1954)

“The dealer who loved to deal"

Meet Mr Mayer

Shadows and traces

Gustavus and family

The Mayer FamilyVincent Mayer (1831-1918) = Caroline Markt (?-1931)

William (1871-1905)

Gustavus =(1) Angelika Pierri (2) Isabel Codrington Pyke-Nott (3) Solvig Svenson

Katharina=David

Melinda

Martin =(1) Jolanta (2) Edwina

Jack Selina Nicola

Stepdaughters: Stella SponneckPauline KonodyMargaret (Peggy) Konody

Helen (1880-1973)

The wives• Angelika Maria Anna Pierri Burkhardt Goertz Sponneck Mayer Evans• Isabel Codrington Pyke-Nott Konody Mayer• Ruth Solvig Marianne Svenson Mayer

Key dates• Gus born 1873, Hoboken, NJ• 1883 to Lausanne, Switzerland • By 1893, in London, but travelling• 1903 marries Ange• 1905 brother William dies• 1907 divorces Ange• 1911 Colnaghi and Obach merger• 1912 Isabel divorces Paul Konody• 1913 marries Isabel, lives at

Wistler’s Wood

• 1918 Vincent dies• 1923 Gus becomes a British citizen• 1931 Caroline dies• 1938-39 personal bankruptcy, sale

of Wistler’s Wood• 1939 Katharina born• 1943 Isabel dies• 1944 marries Solvig• 1945 Martin born• 1954 Gus dies, buried Darmstadt,

Germany

“Mayer loved to deal”• From 1890s, studying in Europe: Dresden, Paris, Karlsruhe, Palermo• From 1900s Obach to Colnaghi, painting, prints and drawings• Deals of renown: portrait of Jan Six,

the Liechtenstein Collection• Great coups, now infamous: the Hermitage sale

The Mayer family and the print• Vincent Mayer: printer and print collector• Helen Mayer: publisher

Mayer and the dealers• Receiving the ‘daily Zinzer’• Francis Zatzenstein (Matthiesen) and mutual support• The Knoedler connection• Gus among the dealers

Mayer and the art world• Laurence Binyon, students together• Muirhead Bone and the Glasgow school• Naturalisation referees (1923): Lionel Cust,

Sir Charles Holmes

The extended family and the art world

John Nott Pyke NottOf Bydown, North Devon

Isabel Codrington Pyke-Nott=(1) Paul Konody=(2) Gus Mayer

Pauline Margaret (Peggy)

James Pyke-NottEvelyn Pyke-Nott = John Byam Liston Shaw

Glen Byam Shaw James Byam Shaw

Extended family and the art world

• John Byam Liston Shaw (Boer War, at BMAG)• Isabel Codrington, Cantine Franco-Britannique, Vitry-le-François

(IWM)• Isabel Codrington, The Green Bowl (Aberdeen Art Gallery)• Paul Konody, The Art of Walter Crane• Pauline Konody, Irises

BM 1933,0907.4

The outside world: a true Englishman

• The man about town • A country estate and shoot• Stockbrokers’ Tudor (and genuine Stuart)• A daffodil medal• Home Guard duties• “Uncle Dan” and “Peter”

British, yet internationalNaturalisation application 1922, due to “my long residence in this country where all my property and business interests are situated”And yet“I have visited every country in Europe except Roumania for the purpose of study and business” (TNA: HO144/2601)

The outside world: a true Germanophile

• Hansastrasse, Freiburg: home• Kliffende, Sylt: property in Germany• Germany on the Med: Alassio• “that marvellous Hock you recommended”• German current affairs• “Passionately interested in matters of health”

The outside world: a sportsman

The outside world: a sybarite

A study in contrasts

The outside world: the bankrupt

Legacy• Print dealing in the next generation• Artistic patronage in the family (Bluebell woods, Jean-Louis Badet)

Legacy: the next generations• martinmayerphotography.co.uk• Selina Mayer photography http://selinamayer.tumblr.com/post

/45031086847/self-february-2013-mamiya-rz67-expired-ilford

http://selinamayer.tumblr.com/post/70104965281/self-portrait-december-2013-mamiya-rz67-fuji

Mayer the collageGustavus

GusUncle DanBjörn

Hoboken NJLausannePalermoFreiburg im Breisgau

Half Moon StBond St Aldershvile slot

Wistler’s WoodField House Luetzelbach, Darmstadt

Fin