Perry Rubenstein, a fast-growing gallerist in New York’s art world in the 1980s, fell into disgrace in the 2010s after a failure to move to Los Angeles convicted of two counts of misappropriation on Thursday. Died at home in Los Angeles. Los Angeles. He was 68 years old.
Former wife Sarah Fitzmorris confirmed her death, but said the cause had not been identified.
Rubenstein was one of the prominent young gallery owners who appeared in Manhattan in the mid-1980s. Wall Street cash flowed into SoHo and Chelsea, soaring the work of artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Ross Brekner and Julian. Schnabel.
Former Versace model Rubenstein, with impeccable tips for the next big thing in art, adapted to the “in” crowd. During much of his career he worked as a private dealer for very very wealthy people. He specializes in both Nova and Best Equity and mediated the work of Victor Matthews with Warhol and Liechtenstein.
He made waves when he opened a public gallery on West 23rd Street in Chelsea in 2004 and announced that he would move to Los Angeles seven years later. He set up a store in Hollywood’s early art district and opened a 9,500-square-foot gallery in a solo exhibition by photographer Helmut Newton.
But he couldn’t get it to work. Debt piled up, sales were sluggish, and in 2014 his gallery filed for bankruptcy in the face of multiple proceedings for breach of contract.
That wasn’t the worst of his problems. In 2012, he sold the work of Japanese artist Takashi Murakami for $ 630,000 on behalf of Massachusetts-based collector Michael Salque. When the deal closed, Rubenstein added an additional $ 20,000 to his commission. Salke filed a proceeding and found that during the discovery phase, the buyer, Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, paid $ 825,000 for the work and Rubenstein had the difference in his pocket.
Mr. Zarke and Mr. Rubenstein later settled the proceedings.
Shortly thereafter, Michael Obitz, the former president of The Walt Disney Company, sued Rubenstein for the handling of the two works by Richard Prince. Owitz refused Rubenstein to sell one of them at a price lower than he wanted without his permission, and Rubenstein to hand over the proceeds from the sale of the other works. Said.
In fact, Ovitz said Rubenstein had never sold his second work, “De Kooning.”
The two men reached a settlement in March 2016. Rubenstein returned the second painting, and Obitz did not accuse him.
Therefore, Rubenstein was surprised to learn that four months later, Obitz and Sarke were indicted anyway, and arrest warrants were issued for two felony embezzlements and one theft. Under the 2017 agreement, he did not challenge embezzlement and agreed to pay damages to both Mr. Sarke and Mr. Obitz. He was also sentenced to six months in prison.
Perry Roy Rubenstein was born on January 14, 1954 in Philadelphia. His father, Samuel Rubenstein, was raised by Edwin Bershup, who owns his stepfather distribution company, and his mother Lydia (Cogan) Bershup, a housewife who left the family when Perry was young. rice field.
He attended Pennsylvania State University, where he majored in history and graduated in 1975.
With a clear career path in mind, Rubenstein set out for Europe. He landed in Milan and soon met other young people working in the Milan fashion industry.
One day, someone came to the hotel looking for the perfect model for a nearby studio. Curious Rubenstein volunteered, and a few hours later he stood facing Gianni Versace, who had just begun to climb to the top of the design world.
Rubenstein worked on modeling and traveled around the world for photography for the next few years. In the process, he started buying art. In particular, all of them have made major careers from young Italian artists such as Francesco Clemente, Sandrochia and Enzo Cucchi.
By the time he settled in New York in the early 1980s, Rubenstein had both an invaluable art collection and many contacts in the art world. He lived in a building in West Chelsea where Mr. Schnabel had a temporary studio.
“Our first meeting didn’t work,” he wrote in a 2022 Facebook post. “I was unfamiliar with the mysteries of the world of contemporary art and unknowingly insulted Julian by asking how far the painting had progressed,” he said, “they’re done.” … and so did we! “
It’s a rare fake by Rubenstein, who can comfortably move between the artist’s loft and the banker’s penthouse suite, and his reputation has grown as rapidly as the 1980s art market itself.
He married Fitz Maurice in 1996. They divorced in 2014. He survived by his brother Irv. His sister, Beth Bershup. And his daughters, Rafaela and Scarlet Rubenstein.
Rubenstein had long been based in West Chelsea, where his home and office were, but it wasn’t until 2004 that he joined the boom at the gallery openings around him. He soon had three spaces, one of which was dedicated to up-and-coming artists.
His move to Los Angeles was a surprise to his colleagues, but he saw it as his next big challenge. The West Coast art scene is booming and he believed that his success in New York could be reproduced in a less crowded area. He put everything he had into the project, and when it collapsed he couldn’t rely on it.
After being released from prison, Rubenstein worked as an art collector consultant. He also wrote memoirs about his family, returned to their roots in Eastern Europe, and wrote his early career as a model and art dealer. Not published yet.
