{{Short description|American art dealer and banker (1933–2025)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Robert Mnuchin | image = File:Robert Eliot Mnuchin 1951.jpg | image_size = | caption = High school yearbook portrait, 1951 | birth_name = Robert Eliot Mnuchin | birth_date = {{Birth date|1933|9|5}} | birth_place = New York City, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2025|12|19|1933|9|5}} | death_place = Bridgewater, Connecticut, U.S. | education = | alma_mater = Yale University | occupation = Goldman Sachs partner, art dealer | title = | term = | predecessor = | successor = | known_for = founder, Mnuchin Gallery | boards = | spouse = Elaine Terner Cooper (divorced)<br> Adriana Mnuchin | parents = | children = 5, including Steven | website = }}
'''Robert Eliot Mnuchin'''<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goria |first=Fabrizio |date=December 5, 2016 |title=Ritratto di Steve Mnuchin, il produttore di Sully che va al Tesoro con Trump |url=https://www.corriere.it/economia/16_dicembre_05/ritratto-steve-mnuchin-1becc1c4-bae7-11e6-99a2-8ca865283c9e.shtml |access-date=December 21, 2025 |work=Corriere della Sera |language=Italian}}</ref> ({{IPAc-en||m|ə|ˈ|n|uː|ʃ|ɪ|n}} {{respell|mə|NOO|shin}}; September 5, 1933 – December 19, 2025) was an American art dealer and previously an investment banker. After a 33-year career with Goldman Sachs, he retired to found the Mnuchin Gallery in New York City.
As an art dealer, Mnuchin was particularly known for his long association with Dutch-American abstract painter Willem de Kooning.<ref name="NYT2019">{{cite web |last=Bernstein |first=Jacob |date=May 19, 2019 |title=Robert Mnuchin Would Rather Not Discuss His Client (or His Son) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/19/arts/robert-mnuchin-steven-cohen-koons.html |access-date=July 3, 2023 |website=The New York Times |publisher= |quote=}}</ref><ref name="ARTnews2021" /> In 2019, he set a record for the most money paid for a work by a living artist by bidding $80{{nbsp}}million for Jeff Koons's ''Rabbit''.<ref name="NYT2019" />
==Early life== Mnuchin was born in Manhattan on September 5, 1933,<ref name="nyt obit" /><ref name="ArtCaste">{{cite web|title=Bob Mnuchin|url=http://www.artcaste.com/2010/11/steven-mnuchin/|website=ArtCaste|accessdate=2 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203011957/http://www.artcaste.com/2010/11/steven-mnuchin/|archive-date=2016-12-03|url-status = dead}}</ref> and grew up in Scarsdale, New York.<ref name="NYT2019" /><ref name="NYT_20131025" /><ref name=":0" /> His parents, Harriet (Gevirtz) and Leon A. Mnuchin, were "modest collectors" of art, owning pieces by Franz Kline, Mark Rothko, and a piece by Henri Matisse later revealed as a fake.<ref name="NYT2019" /><ref name="NYT_20131025" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=isjpAAAAMAAJ&q=Harriet+Gevirtz+mnuchin|title = A Defining Generation: Then and Now, 1961 and 2001|isbn = 9780962054532|last1 = Ketner|first1 = Joseph D.|year = 2001| publisher=Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University }}</ref> Mnuchin graduated from Yale University in 1955.<ref name="NYT_20131025" />
==Career== After graduating from Yale, Mnuchin served in the U.S. Army for two years as a private.<ref name="NYT_20131025" /> He subsequently joined Goldman Sachs in 1957, staying there for 33 years. Mnuchin was named a general partner in 1967, headed the trading-and-arbitrage division in 1976, and joined the management committee in 1980. He, along with his co-worker at Goldman, Gus Levy, developed Goldman's block-trading business and ran the firm's equities division until his retirement in 1990 to pursue his interest in art.<ref name="NYT_20131025" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/02/business/business-people-goldman-sachs-coach-retiring-after-33-years.html |title=Business People; Goldman, Sachs 'Coach' Retiring After 33 Years |author=Eichenwald, Kurt |date=2 October 1990 |newspaper=The New York Times |accessdate=23 August 2017}}</ref><ref name="rmnuchin">{{cite news|title=Trump Names Hedge Fund Manager as National Finance Chairman|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-05-05/trump-names-hedge-fund-manager-as-national-finance-chairman|newspaper=Bloomberg.com|accessdate=2 December 2016|date=5 May 2016}}</ref> In his final year before retirement, he earned a reported $8.7 million salary.<ref name="LLC1992">{{cite journal|author=New York Media, LLC|title=New York Magazine|journal=Newyorkmetro.com.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=guMCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA54|date=13 April 1992|publisher=New York Media, LLC|pages=54–57|issn=0028-7369}}</ref>
In 1992, Mnuchin opened his gallery, C{{nbsp}}&{{nbsp}}M Arts, with James Corcoran, a Los Angeles-based dealer.<ref name="NYT_20131025">{{cite news|last1=Pogrebin|first1=Robin|title=At 80, Mnuchin Remains a Passionate Promoter of Postwar Art|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/arts/artsspecial/at-80-mnuchin-remains-a-passionate-promoter-of-postwar-art.html|accessdate=10 November 2016|work=New York Times|date=25 October 2013}}</ref> Mnuchin became particularly known for his exhibitions of the work of Dutch-American abstract artist Willem de Kooning, including a 50-year retrospective.<ref name="NYT2019" /><ref name="ARTnews2021" /> Among other shows, the gallery hosted an exhibition of Jeff Koons's work that, according to Koons's biographer, helped restore the sculptor to prominence after a previous failed show.<ref name="NYT2019" /> His gallery has also exhibited work by Andy Warhol,<ref name="ARTnews2021" /> Donald Judd,<ref name="NYT_20131025" /> Frank Stella,<ref name="NYT_20131025" /> John Chamberlain,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/07/arts/design/at-frieze-art-fairs-no-frenzy-but-a-sense-of-steady-activity.html |title=At Frieze Art Fairs, No Frenzy but a Sense of Steady Activity |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |date=October 6, 2016 |website=The New York Times |publisher= |access-date=July 3, 2023 |quote=}}</ref> Alexander Calder,<ref name="ARTnews2021">{{cite web |url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/mnuchin-artnews-live-1234588599/ |title=It Took a Lot of Courage for Robert Mnuchin to Become an Art Dealer |last=Maneker |first=Marion |date=April 2, 2021 |website=ARTnews |publisher= |access-date=July 3, 2023 |quote=}}</ref> Philip Guston,<ref name="ARTnews2021" /> Damien Hirst,<ref name="ARTnews2021" /> Julian Schnabel,<ref name="ARTnews2021" /> David Hammons,<ref name="ARTnews2021" /> Sam Gilliam,<ref name="ARTnews2021" /> Ed Clark,<ref name="ARTnews2021" /> Lynn Drexler,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Jacobs |first=Harrison |date=2026-02-04 |title=Mnuchin Gallery to Close After Death of Founder in December |url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/market/mnuchin-gallery-to-close-after-death-of-founder-in-december-1234772131/ |access-date=2026-02-05 |website=ARTnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Joan Mitchell,<ref name=":1" /> Lynda Benglis,<ref name=":1" /> and Mary Lovelace O’Neal.<ref name=":1" />
In 2005, the name of gallery was changed to L&M Arts when Mnuchin entered into partnership with Dominique Lévy; she left in 2013 to open her own gallery nearby.<ref>{{cite web|last=Goldstein |first=Andrew M. |url=http://www.artspace.com/magazine/interviews_features/expert_eye/robert-mnuchin-interview-52708 |title=Former Goldman Sachs Weather-Maker Robert Mnuchin on How He Conquered the Art Market, Too | Art for Sale |publisher=Artspace |date=2015-03-27 |accessdate=2016-11-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Bob Mnuchin|url=http://gawker.com/550099/bob-mnuchin|website=Gawker|accessdate=3 December 2016|date=25 January 2008}}</ref> After Levy's departure, dealer Sukanya Rajaratnam was promoted to a partner at the again-renamed Mnuchin Gallery, remaining in the position until 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.artnet.com/market/sukanya-rajaratnam-a-change-making-dealer-who-brought-overlooked-artists-to-mnuchin-gallery-departs-after-15-years-2240000 |title=Sukanya Rajaratnam, a Change-Making Dealer Who Brought Overlooked Artists to Mnuchin Gallery, Is Departing After 15 Years |last=Kazakina |first=Katya |date=January 8, 2023 |website=ArtNet news |publisher= |access-date=July 3, 2023 |quote=}}</ref> In February 2026, the Gallery announced it would close at the end of the month following Mnuchin's passing.<ref name=":1" />
In 2019, Mnuchin set a new record for the highest amount paid for an artwork by a living artist when he bid $80{{nbsp}}million ($91.1{{nbsp}}million after fees) in a Christie's auction for ''Rabbit'', a 1986 stainless steel sculpture by Jeff Koons, on behalf of an anonymous client later revealed to be hedge-fund manager Steve Cohen.<ref name="NYT2019" /><ref>{{cite web|publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-48292277 |title=Jeff Koons' Rabbit sculpture breaks record for living artist |date=2019-05-16 |accessdate=2019-05-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/15/arts/jeff-koons-rabbit-auction.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article |title=Jeff Koons 'Rabbit' Sets Auction Record for Most Expensive Work by Living Artist |last=Reyburn |first=Scott |date=May 15, 2019 |website=The New York Times |publisher= |access-date=July 3, 2023 |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/05/steve-mnuchin-father-robert-mnuchin-koons-rabbit |title=Mnuchin's Dad Bought a $91 Million Rabbit for Billionaire Steve Cohen |last=Levin |first=Bess |date=May 21, 2019 |website=Vanity Fair |publisher= |access-date=July 3, 2023 |quote=}}</ref>
Mnuchin's personal collection included work by De{{nbsp}}Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko.<ref name="NYT_20131025" />
==Personal life and death== Mnuchin married his first wife Elaine Terner Cooper in 1957.<ref name="NYTimesWedding">{{cite news|title=WEDDINGS; Heather Crosby, Steven Mnuchin|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/26/style/weddings-heather-crosby-steven-mnuchin.html|accessdate=May 10, 2016|work=New York Times|date=September 26, 1999}}</ref> They had two children. One son, Alan G. Mnuchin, was a vice president at Goldman Sachs in 1995, when he married Kimberly E. Kassel.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/12/style/weddings-alan-g-mnuchin-kimberly-e-kassel.html |title=WEDDINGS – Alan G. Mnuchin, Kimberly E. Kassel |newspaper=The New York Times |date=1995-02-12 |accessdate=2016-11-11}}</ref> The second son, Steven Mnuchin, also became a banker with Goldman Sachs<ref name="rmnuchin" /><ref name="NYTimesWedding" /> and later Secretary of the Treasury.<ref name="NYT2019" /> In 1999 Cooper was a vice president of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum's international directors council, and a director of the Byrd Hoffman Foundation.<ref name="NYTimesWedding" /> She died on May 14, 2005.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D05E4DB1F30F935A25756C0A9639C8B63 |title=Paid Notice – Deaths COOPER, ELAINE TERNER – Paid Death Notice |newspaper=The New York Times |date=2005-05-16 |accessdate=2016-11-11}}</ref>
Mnuchin married his second wife Adriana in 1963. Adriana Mnuchin founded retail enterprises Tennis Lady and Cashmere-Cashmere.<ref name="NYT_20131025" /> In 1995,{{Citation needed|date=December 2025}} she co-founded The Shakespeare Society, and in 2009, Roundtable Cultural Seminars, an adult continuing education organization.<ref name="NYT2019" /> Robert and Adriana Mnuchin had one child together: a daughter, Valerie Mnuchin.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/04/style/michael-k-rozen-valerie-mnuchin.html |title=Michael K. Rozen, Valerie Mnuchin |date=4 August 1996 |newspaper=The New York Times |accessdate=23 August 2017}}</ref> Robert and Valerie Mnuchin opened a restaurant together in Shelter Island, New York in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/06/06/robert-valerie-mnuchin-open-shelter-island-restaurant |title=Dealer Robert Mnuchin and his daughter opened a restaurant on New York's Shelter Island |last=Porterfield |first=Carlie |date=June 6, 2023 |website=The Art Newspaper |publisher= |access-date=July 3, 2023|quote=}}</ref> His step-daughter, Lisa Abelow Hedley, was nominated for an Emmy award for documentary film, and is married to the writer of ''Flashdance'', Tom Hedley, with whom she has four children.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.connecticutmag.com/Blog/Health-Wellness/February-2014/For-Wife-of-Flashdance-Writer-Life-of-Privilege-Is-Really-a-Call-to-Action/ |title=For Wife of 'Flashdance' Writer, Life of Privilege Also a Call to Action – Health & Science – February 2014 |website=Connecticutmag.com |date=2014-03-03 |accessdate=2016-11-11}}</ref>
In 1990, Mnuchin and his wife Adriana bought the Mayflower Inn, a country house hotel in Washington, Connecticut,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/22/business/businessspecial/once-for-the-money-and-once-for-the-fun.html |title=Once for the Money, and Once for the Fun |last=Smith |first=Jack |date=February 22, 2005 |website=The New York Times |publisher= |access-date=July 3, 2023 |quote=}}</ref> which they turned into a Relais & Chateaux 30-room hotel, spa, and restaurant, before selling it in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|author=Adriana Mnuchin |url=http://www.adrianamnuchin.com/ |title=Entrepreneur, Educator, Art Collector |publisher=Adriana Mnuchin |accessdate=2016-11-11}}</ref> In 2011, they purchased a {{convert|5850|sqft|m2|adj=on}} Upper East Side house at 14 East 95th Street from Solomon Asser for $14.25 million, using his company, Nuke Properties LLC.<ref>{{cite web|author=Morgan Halberg |url=http://observer.com/2015/11/no-more-limestone-mnuchin-clan-sells-manse-at-a-loss/ |title=No More Limestone: Mnuchin Clan Sells UES Manse at a Loss |work=Observer |date=9 November 2015 |accessdate=2016-11-11}}</ref> Initially listed in 2014 at $17 million, it sold in January 2016 to Alastair and Alisa Wood for a reported $13 million.<ref>{{cite web|author=Morgan Halberg |url=http://observer.com/2016/01/the-mnuchins-finally-say-farewell-to-a-limestone-at-a-loss/ |title=The Mnuchins Finally Say Farewell to a Limestone…At a Loss |work=Observer |date=28 January 2016 |accessdate=2016-11-11}}</ref>
Mnuchin's son Steven served as the Secretary of the Treasury in the first Trump cabinet. The elder Mnuchin contributed to Democratic politicians in most election cycles and declined to discuss his son's politics with the press.<ref name="NYT2019" />
Mnuchin died in Bridgewater, Connecticut, on December 19, 2025, at the age of 92.<ref name="nyt obit">{{cite news |last=Phillips |first=Matt |date=December 22, 2025 |title=Robert Mnuchin, Influential Art Dealer, Dies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/arts/design/robert-mnuchin-dead.html |access-date=December 20, 2025 |newspaper=The New York Times |page=B7 |volume=175 |issue=60741 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name| 3187120}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mnuchin, Robert}} Category:1933 births Category:2025 deaths Category:20th-century American Jews Category:21st-century American Jews Category:American art dealers Category:American bankers Category:Goldman Sachs people Category:People from Scarsdale, New York Category:Yale University alumni