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editI'd like to write a biography for Sarah Stein, wife of Michael Stein, and sister-in-law of Gertrude and Leo Stein. It is difficult to find biographical information about her, but she was a substantial collector of Henri Matisse's artwork, and paintings from her original collection hang in museums world wide. She also was an instigator, with Hans Purrmann, of the Matisse art school in Paris in the early 1900's. Her life has drama and pathos, and she has a story that should be told.
Sarah Stein
editSarah Samuels was born on July 26, 1870 in San Francisco. Sarah met and married (in 1893) Michael Stein. Their son Allan was born in 1895. After moving from California, the Steins settled in the Rue Madame 58 in Paris(exterior) (exterior). In 1927, the Michael's Stein commissioned the construction of Villa Stein (floor plan) (exterior) by the architect Le Corbusier, located in a close-in-suburb of Paris, Garches, France.
In 1905, with Sarah's primary inspiration, they began to gather works by Matisse. Of her collecting, Matisse himself said, it was Mme. Michael Stein, rather than Gertrude and Leo, who had displayed the most perceptive understanding of modern art. NYTimes December 1, 1968 (referencing transition's publication of Matisse's contribution to "Testimony Against Gertrude Stein."
There was, at least, some point to his recognition of the less heralded members of the Stein family. The Michael Steins--Gertrude's elder brother and his wife--were the first avid American collectors of Matisse's work (19 of their early Matisses, a fraction of their collection, were once confiscated in Germany: they had loaned them to an exhibition there just before the outbreak of World War I, and it was only after several years that most of them were retrieved). It was Michael Stein who managed the family finances and usually advanced the necessary funds when, as often happened, Gertrude and Leo could not come to a meeting of the minds on a single purchase and so decided to buy in pairs. ]
There was, at least, some point to his recognition of the less heralded members of the Stein family. The Michael Steins--Gertrude's elder brother and his wife--were the first avid American collectors of Matisse's work (19 of their early Matisses, a fraction of their collection, were once confiscated in Germany: they had loaned them to an exhibition there just before the outbreak of World War I, and it was only after several years that most of them were retrieved). It was Michael Stein who managed the family finances and usually advanced the necessary funds when, as often happened, Gertrude and Leo could not come to a meeting of the minds on a single purchase and so decided to buy in pairs. Familie Stein (in Dutch)
Sarah at left, with Allan Stein and Gertrude Stein
Sarah ("Sally") Stein, front and center (1904; Fiesole, Italy)
(1906) (Sarah second from right)
In 1908, Sarah was a central figure in the creation of the Academy Matisse, of which she was a student. link During her time at the Academy Matisse, Sarah took detailed notes which have passed into the received history of Matisse's art and thought.
In the summer of 1914, Sally lent 19 of her Matisse paintings to the Gurlitt Gallery in Berlin, for a one-man exhibition. When war broke out in August of 1914, the 19 paintings were lost. In 1916, Matisse painted Sarah Stein's portrait, which is now displayed at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Just found this exciting news from the SFMOMA on-line newsletter:
SFMOMA's Stein Exhibition: To commemorate its 75th anniversary in 2010, SFMOMA will present a major traveling exhibition that reunites the collections of the Stein family. Author Gertrude Stein, her brothers Leo and Michael Stein, and Michael's wife, Sarah, were Bay Area natives whose arts patronage in the early 20th century fueled the development of modern art. They collected hundreds of works of art, including a substantial number by Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. Twelve of these works — paintings and drawings by Picasso and Matisse, including Matisse's masterpiece Femme au chapeau — are now in the SFMOMA collection. The goal of the exhibition is to reassemble the works originally in the Stein family collections. The presentation will include a re-creation of Leo and Gertrude's Paris salon — often called “the first museum of modern art” — as well as photographs of the Steins at home and personal correspondences.