José Arnaldo Weissberger

Description

José Arnaldo Weissberger (1878–1954) came from a family with a deep-rooted commercial tradition: his father had amassed a great fortune as a banker and even served as a U.S. vice-consul. José Weissberger inherited that entrepreneurial spirit and began his career in the antiques trade in his hometown, Bramman (Brno, Czech Republic). He arrived in Spain between 1906 and 1907, settling in Madrid, where he obtained Spanish citizenship in 1914 (Pérez-Flecha, 2016).

He cultivated friendships with figures such as the painter Joaquín Sorolla and the sculptor Mariano Benlliure and even had an audience with Alfonso XIII. Although he presented himself publicly as a collector, experts agree that his main activity was that of a dealer. He acquired pieces at advantageous prices to increase their value and resell them, especially in the North American market. When the Civil War broke out, he was forced to leave Spain, and in 1939 his collection was seized by the Franco regime on charges of Freemasonry and support for the Republic. His works—more than 1,800 pieces in total—were deposited at the National Museum of Decorative Arts (Pérez-Flecha, 2016). Finally acquitted in 1946, he recovered a large portion of his assets between 1948 and 1952. His brother, Herbert P. Weissberger, was also involved in the art dealing business.

Bibliography

• PÉREZ-FLECHA, Javier (2016): "El marchante y coleccionista José Weissberger y la incautación y depósito de su colección en el Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas", nº 2, Además de: revista online de artes decorativas y diseño, pp. 139-153.
• PÉREZ-FLECHA, Javier (2016): "La colección de mobiliario de José Weissberger en el Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas (Madrid)", vol. 5, nº 6, Res Mobilis: Revista internacional de investigación en mobiliario y objetos decorativos, pp. 371-385.