Legendary art dealer Leo Castelli, who discovered some of the century’s masters, including painters Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, died yesterday at 91.
He died at his Upper East Side home after an illness, a family spokeswoman said. Friends and family held a private service for Castelli in his home last night.
Born to a well-off Jewish family in Italy in 1907, Castelli rose to be the most important art dealer of the 20th century – fueling the careers of such talents as Roy Lichtenstein, Richard Serra and Andy Warhol.
In 1990, the diminutive dealer told an interviewer that he took up the art game because, “apart from having to make a living, it was the only way I could be surrounded by paintings which I couldn’t afford to buy.”
With a keen eye for what would sell and a flair for generosity, Castelli presided over galleries that reaped millions.
Serra once said that when Castelli found him in 1963, he guaranteed the artist three years of monthly payments, even if his sculptures didn’t sell.
“It was like getting a Rockefeller grant,” Serra said. “Leo has always been generous [and] supportive … a throwback to another century.”
Born in Trieste, Castelli was educated in Milan and worked in the insurance business for a time. In 1933, he married Ileana Schapira.
Six years later, Castelli opened his first gallery, in Paris. He was forced to head for New York when World War II broke out.
Castelli was granted American citizenship after serving with Army intelligence.
He and Ileana divorced in 1960. Three years later, Castelli married Antoinette Fraissex du Bost, who died in 1987. In 1995, Castelli married Barbara Bertozzi.