Dominique de Menil
Dominique de Menil (actually Dominique Schlumberger, born May 10, 1908 in Paris, † December 31, 1998 in Houston, Texas) was the heiress of Schlumberger, the world's largest oil exploration company, and a well-known patron of the arts of contemporary American painting.
Biography
Dominique was the youngest daughter of the French geophysicist and geologist Conrad Schlumberger ( born October 2, 1878 in Gebweiler, Alsace, † May 9, 1936 in Stockholm), a son of Paul Schlumberger ( 1846-1926 ) and his wife Marguerite de Witt ( 1853 - 1924). She grew up in France. Later she studied at the Sorbonne, mathematics and physics. On May 9, 1931, she married in Paris the French nobleman Jean ( John ) de Menil ( 1904-1973 ), from the couple's marriage were five children, Christophe, Adelaide, Georges, François and Philippa forth.
In 1941 the couple emigrated from occupied France via England to New York. Their art collection, the largest private art collection is known worldwide as was made available to the public through Menil Collection. Among African and European art were also contemporary American artists to find, including Jackson Pollock, Barnett Newman, Clyfford Still, Cy Twombly, Robert Motherwell, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko. With the former U.S. President Jimmy Carter Dominique de Menil founded the Carter - Menil Human Rights Foundation and since 1986, the Carter - Menil Award is awarded for outstanding service. The award is valued at $ 100,000.