Roland Balaÿ

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Roland Balay
BornMay 1902
Died16 September 2004
Occupationart dealer
Known fordirector of the Knoedler Gallery

Roland Balay (May 1902, in Paris – 16 September 2004, in New York City) was a Franco-American art dealer and director of the Knoedler Gallery. He sold the family gallery to Armand Hammer in 1971 .

Biography[edit]

Son of Charles Balaÿ, French miniaturist painter, and Amélie Knoedler, Roland Balaÿ was the grandson of Michael Knoedler and the nephew of Roland Knoedler, respectively founder and director of the New York art gallery Knoedler.[1][2] Balay joined the family firm in 1922. He was responsible, notably on behalf of Andrew Mellon, for the sales of works of art by the Soviet government 1930-1932, in association with Matthiessen galleries (Berlin) and Colnaghi (London).[3]

Jan van Eyck - L'Annonciation, vendu par le gouvernement soviétique en juin 1931 - Google Art Project.jpg
Jan van Eyck - L'Annonciation, sold by the Soviet government June 1931 - Google Art Project

From the 1930s until 1940, Balay ran a gallery with Louis Carré, at 10 avenue de Messine, dealing in modern artists there and organizing exhibitions for artists Juan Gris and Paul Klee exhibitions (June–July 1938).[4] Balay and Carré collaborated with Étienne Bignou, Valentine Dudensing, César de Hauke, Pierre Matisse and other dealers.[5]

At the start of World War II, Balay was mobilized in the French army. He then partnered with George Keller for a time at Carstairs Gallery in New York.[6][7] In 1956, after the death of Charles Henschel (Carl Henschel), Balay took over the management of the family business. He exhibited Braque, Léger, Picasso, Willem de Kooning, Henry Moore, Barnett Newman.[8]

Balay was the last living family member to run Knoedler.[9] In 1971, Knoedler was sold to collector Armand Hammer. Balaÿ was named honorary president of the company in 1976.[10]

In 1975, Christie's London sold works of art belonging to him and Ruth K. Henschel.

Family[edit]

From his first marriage to Marie-Thérèse Maxence, Balaÿ had a son, John Balaÿ, living in Leek, Staffordshire, and a daughter, Marianne Blondin-Walter, living in the Nantes region. Balaÿ remarried to Felicie Trayman, director of Gallery Felicie.[11]

Notes and references[edit]

  1. ^ Saxon, Wolfgang (2004-09-18). "Roland Balay, Art Dealer in Modernism, Dies at 102". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-16.
  2. ^ "Archives Directory for the History of Collecting". research.frick.org. Retrieved 2021-05-16.
  3. ^ "M. Knoedler & Co. records". oac.cdlib.org. Archived from the original on 2015-10-30. Retrieved 2021-05-16.
  4. ^ "Most widely held works by Roland Balaÿ & Louis Carré (Gallery)".
  5. ^ "INDEX OF HISTORIC COLLECTORS AND DEALERS OF CUBISM Hauke, César Mange de France, 1900−Paris, 1965". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2021-05-16. From dealer Etienne Bignou, he purchased such School of Paris works as Amedeo Modigliani's Reclining Nude (1919; The Museum of Modern Art, New York). His stock of Fauvist and Cubist works generally came from the Galerie Pierre or dealer Roland Balay. De Hauke also bought works from sources in London, including the Leicester Galleries and Reid & Lefèvre. In turn, de Hauke & Co. sold works of art to private American clients, including Lillie P. Bliss, Frank Crowninshield, Chester Dale, and Duncan Phillips, and worked closely with New York gallerists and art dealers like M. Knoedler & Co., Pierre Matisse, and Curt Valentin to place others
  6. ^ Saxon, Wolfgang (2004-09-18). "Roland Balay, Art Dealer in Modernism, Dies at 102". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-16.
  7. ^ "The lure of impressionism for the newly rich | Financial Times". archive.is. 2021-05-16. Retrieved 2021-05-16.
  8. ^ Landi, Ann (1996-12-01). "150 Years of Helping Shape a Nation's Taste". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-16.
  9. ^ "On Knoedler & Company's 150th anniversary, we remember the masterpieces that have graced their walls". www.theartnewspaper.com. December 1996. Retrieved 2021-05-16.
  10. ^ Richardson, John. "HAMMER NAILED | Vanity Fair | March 1991". Vanity Fair | The Complete Archive. Retrieved 2021-05-16.
  11. ^ "Roland Balay Biography, Felicie New York". www.galleryfelicie.com. Retrieved 2021-05-16.

Sources[edit]

External links[edit]

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