Born in Chicago, he set up his first gallery in his home city in 1957 before later opening in New York where he became one of the world’s leading dealers in a range of sectors including Old Master paintings, British landscapes and German Expressionist art.
Known for his many discoveries over his six decades as a dealer, he exhibited at numerous international fairs and sold works to museums including the Louvre in Paris, the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and the National Gallery in London. He also assembled an extraordinary private collection. “I am a collector in dealer’s clothes,” he said.
In a post on Instagram, the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Max Hollein said: “Richard Feigen was an extraordinary man, great connoisseur of art from the Italian trecento through all centuries up to contemporaries like Peter Saul, Jim Rosenquist or Ray Johnson.”
He was also a dream contact for journalists: never failing to be insightful, courteous and generous with his time and knowledge.
A tribute to Richard Feigen from his colleagues at Richard L Feigen & Co appears on in Antiques Trade Gazette's Obituary page this week.
