Charles Loeser (1864-1928), Florence and New York; removed from Torri Gattaia, Florence, Italy, thence by descent

Private collection, London, UK; by descent from the above by the 1950s

Professor & Mrs Sid Port, Santa Monica, USA; acquired 8th May 1976
Private collection, Switzerland; acquired October 2002

Loeser was born in New York, then moved to Florence in 1890 where in 1908 he bought Villa Torri Gattaia and devoted himself to his studies and collecting works of art and furniture. By the time he died in 1928 his collection numbered over 1,000 pieces. He was one of the earliest collectors of Cezanne, and although most of his works of art were dated to the Italian Medieval and Renaissance periods, he also had several fine ancient sculptures.
Loeser is buried at Cimitero Evangelico agli Allori in Florence. In his will he stated that the President of the United States would be able to choose eight of his Cezannes "to adorn the White House", and bequeathed his collection of Old Master prints and drawings to the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, and over thirty pieces to Florence CIty Council where they can still be seen in Palazzo Vecchio.

Frieze Masters 2024 - Private View