Jocelyn Alice Wildenstein[1] (née Jocelyne Périsset; born 1940)[2] is a Swiss socialite[3] known for her extensive cosmetic surgery, resulting in her catlike appearance; her 1999 high-profile divorce from billionaire art dealer and businessman Alec Wildenstein;[4][5] and her extravagant lifestyle and subsequent bankruptcy filing.
Jocelyn Wildenstein | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jocelynnys Dayannys da Silva Bezerra Périsset August 5th 1940 (Age 84) Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Occupation | Socialite |
| Known for | Extensive facial surgeries |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Early life and relationships
editJocelyn Périsset was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1940.[2][6] Her father Armand Périsset (died 12 March 1997 in Kenya) worked in a sporting goods store and her mother Liliane Périsset was a housewife.[2] She began dating Swiss Cyril Piguet, producer of the 1964 film Un commerce tranquille, at the age of 17.[7] She later lived in Paris with Italian French filmmaker Sergio Gobbi.[8] While there, she became a skilled hunter and pilot.[3]
Périsset was introduced to Alec N. Wildenstein, of the wealthy family of renowned art dealers,[9] by Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi at a shooting weekend at the Wildenstein African ranch "Ol Jogi" in 1977.[10][6] Périsset and Wildenstein eloped to Las Vegas on 30 April 1978[6] and had two children together.[11]
The Wildensteins' divorce in 1999[4][10] was not amicable.[12] Jocelyn walked in on her husband and a 21-year-old Russian model in her bedroom at the Wildenstein New York home, and he threatened Jocelyn with a gun.[13][14] This resulted in a night in jail for Alec Wildenstein.[14] The presiding judge, Marilyn Diamond, received death threats in the mail during the proceedings.[15] During her divorce, the judge stipulated that she could not use any alimony payments for further cosmetic surgery.[16] Jocelyn enlisted the services of Ed Rollins[8][17] for public relations assistance and at various times both Bernard Clair[8][18] and Kenneth Godt[19] for legal counsel. Wildenstein began dating fashion designer Lloyd Klein in 2003.[20]
Cosmetic surgery
editWildenstein has had extensive cosmetic surgeries to her face.[21] Her catlike appearance[22] has led media outlets to nickname her "Catwoman", "The Lion Queen", and "The Bride of Wildenstein".[23] She denies having excessive plastic surgery, citing her Swiss heritage,[22] but admitted to a multi-million dollar surgery to make her eyes more cat-like[24] which she did with her husband.[6] According to Alec Wildenstein, "She was thinking that she could fix her face like a piece of furniture. Skin does not work that way. But she wouldn’t listen".[6]
Finances
editWildenstein is known for her extravagant life. She once calculated her yearly telephone bill at $60,000 and food and wine costs at $547,000.[9] Wildenstein received $2.5 billion in her divorce settlement (although this amount has been rumored to be as high as $3.8 billion[25]) and $100 million each year for the following 13 years.[26] The judge stipulated that she could not use any alimony payments for further cosmetic surgery.[16] Following her divorce, Wildenstein sold the marital home in New York to real estate developer Janna Bullock for $13 million.[27]
In 2018 Wildenstein filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, claiming she had $0 in her bank account and listing various tangible assets of $16.39 million against $6.38 million in liabilities.[28] In 2020 her three apartments in Trump Tower were repossessed. Wildenstein told The Times in 2023 that she attributes her financial difficulties to problems with the trust set up following her divorce, and that in 2015 the family of Alec Wildenstein had cut her off from payments.[29]
References
edit- ^ "The Crazy Life of Billionaire Socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein". MSN. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ a b c Konigsberg 1997, p. 34.
- ^ a b McCracken 2008, p. 25.
- ^ a b Dunford 2009, p. 181.
- ^ DeMello 2007, pp. 13, 36.
- ^ a b c d e "Jocelyne's Revenge". Vanity Fair. 1998-03-09. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
- ^ Konigsberg 1997, p. 35.
- ^ a b c Carlin, Peter Ames (January 26, 1998). "Surgical Strike". People Magazine. 49 (3). ISSN 0093-7673. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
- ^ a b Felder & Victor 2011.
- ^ a b Faith, Nicholas (February 22, 2008). "Alec Wildenstein: Art dealer and racehorse owner who divorced in a blaze of publicity". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
- ^ Heigl, Alex (9 Dec 2016). "The Famous Life and Face of Jocelyn Wildenstein". People. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
- ^ Crowley 2005, pp. 164–165.
- ^ "People & Places: Art dealer admits he pulled gun on wife". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. September 9, 2000. p. A2. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
- ^ a b Konigsberg 1997, p. 32.
- ^ Felder 2004, pp. 122–126.
- ^ a b Portmann 2004, p. 66.
- ^ Grove, Lloyd (June 9, 2000). "The Reliable Source". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
- ^ Gupte, Pranay (May 17, 2005). "It's Personal for a Top NYC Divorce Lawyer". The Sun. New York. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
- ^ "Jocelyn gives bankrupt beau the brush-off". New York Post. November 10, 1999. p. 30. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2012. (subscription required) for full content.
- ^ "Jocelyn Wildenstein's Boyfriend Lloyd Klein Reveals What Happened the Night of the Attack". PEOPLE.com.
- ^ Jones 2008, p. 123.
- ^ a b McCarthy, Tyler (February 13, 2018). "'Catwoman' Jocelyn Wildenstein denies having any plastic surgery, cites her Swiss heritage". Fox News.
- ^ "The crazy life of billionaire socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein". PressFrom - AU.
- ^ Wet, Nici de. "Stop posting fake pictures of me, rants Catwoman who claims she's never had plastic surgery". You. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
- ^ Corbett, Rachel (2023-08-23). "The Inheritance Case That Could Unravel an Art Dynasty". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
- ^ Petridou, Ria (September 29, 2011). "Queens of plastic: Jocelyn Wildenstein". Fashion Love. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
- ^ Greene, Penelope (July 26, 2007). "Buy High, Sell Higher". The New York Times. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
- ^ Paul Schrodt (July 17, 2018). "How the Former Billionaire Known as 'Catwoman' Went Bankrupt With $0 in Her Bank Account". Money.com. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Jane Mulkerrins (June 17, 2023). "What happened to the Bride of Wildenstein and her $2.5 billion?". The Times. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
Bibliography – books
edit- Cottom, Daniel (2006), Unhuman culture (illustrated ed.), University of Pennsylvania Press, ISBN 978-0-8122-3956-0
- Crowley, Kieran (2005). Almost Paradise: The Murder of Multimillionaire Ted Ammon in the Hamptons. New York: St. Martin's. ISBN 978-0-312-99913-1.
- DeMello, Margo (2007). Encyclopedia of body adornment. Westport, CT: Greenwood. ISBN 978-0-313-33695-9.
- Dunford, Martin (2009). The Rough Guide to New York City (11 ed.). London: Rough Guides. ISBN 978-0-8070-1618-3.
- Felder, Raoul (2004). "The Wildenstein Divorce". Bare Knuckle Negotiation. Hoboken: Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-471-46333-7.
- Felder, Raoul; Victor, Barbara (2011). "The Wildenstein Case". The Good Divorce: How to Walk Away Financially Sound and Emotionally Happy. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-59296-7.
- Jones, Jessica Dorfman (2007). The Art of Cheating. New York: Pocket. ISBN 978-1-4165-4913-0.
- Jones, Meredith (2008). Skintight: an Anatomy of Cosmetic Surgery. Oxford: Berg Publishers. ISBN 978-1-84520-669-7.
- McCracken, Grant David (2008). Transformations: Identity Construction in Contemporary Culture. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-21957-2.
- Portmann, John (2004). Bad for Us: the lure of self-harm. Boston: Beacon Press. ISBN 978-0-8070-1618-3.
- Tebbel, Cyndi (2000), The body snatchers: how the media shapes women (illustrated ed.), Sydney: Finch, ISBN 978-1-876451-07-3
Bibliography – periodicals
edit- Konigsberg, Eric (December 15, 1997). "What Money Can't Buy". New York. 30 (48): 31–37, 109, 116. ISSN 0028-7369. Retrieved February 5, 2012.