John Pierpont Morgan

Description

John Pierpont Morgan was born between Hartford and Boston in 1937. He was a prominent American banker and businessman who devoted significant efforts to promoting the construction of railroads. His father, Junius Spencer Morgan, ensured that he received a well-rounded education aimed at following the family business: first at the University of Göttingen and later in New York, where he worked at a bank (Merino de Cáceres and Martínez Ruiz, 2012). In 1861, he married Amelia Sturges, who passed away just a few months later. From that moment on, J.P. Morgan dedicated himself fully to his work (Strouse, 2000). In addition to his business ventures, he was an avid art collector, although he never showed a particular preference for any specific style. While he was fond of decorative arts, his acquisitions were highly eclectic (Merino de Cáceres and Martínez Ruiz, 2012). He travelled around the world with the aim of acquiring the finest pieces, which brought him into contact with dealers such as Duveen and Sedelmeyer, among others. In 1871, he became a benefactor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), to which he bequeathed a large portion of his collection (Strouse, 2000).

Bibliography

• MERINO DE CÁCERES, José Miguel y MARTÍNEZ RUIZ, María José (2012): La destrucción del patrimonio artístico español. W. R. Hearst “el gran acaparador", Cátedra, Madrid, pp. 191-195.
• STROUSE, Jean (2000): "J. Pierpont Morgan: Financier and Collector", vol. 57, nº 3, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, pp. 4-57.