Written by by Antoine Feliz, CNN
Victor Pinchuk, founder of hedge fund Steinhardt Partners, has announced his donation of seven ancient antiquities to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Egyptian Museum in New York, on the occasion of an exhibition dedicated to the well-known collector.
The donation includes five of Pinchuk’s own personal items, including a bronze head known as “the femur of the Age of Philip II,” a bomb-shaped figurine known as “the pharaoh’s heart,” and a marble plaque of the Egyptian temple of Onauth.
Victor Pinchuk, founder of hedge fund Steinhardt Partners, has donated seven ancient antiquities to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Egyptian Museum in New York. Credit: Antoine Feliz/BFA
“I am deeply honored to do this, because it is what a collector is supposed to do,” Pinchuk said in a statement. “And I hope that the museum will share these pieces with people all over the world who only have the opportunity to see these pieces when they come to New York.”
The Metropolitan Museum said in a statement that each artifact would be “part of an on-going series of special exhibitions to accompany the arrival of the rest of the collection.”
The Met is partnering with the British-born art dealer Kippenberger , who has collected the antiquities for decades, to preserve and restore the pieces.
Victor Pinchuk’s “Pharaoh’s heart” statue. Credit: Antoine Feliz/BFA
Kippenberger, whose father was a German-born Austrian businessman, says in a statement that he has been “obsessed” with antiquities for the last 30 years. He curated the Met exhibition “The Face of Greco-Roman Egypt” between 1986 and 1987, and has maintained an extensive private collection of Egyptian art ever since.
He says that he has spent around $20 million over the years on Egyptian antiquities. Some of those include ceramics from the 4th and 5th centuries B.C., which were found in northeastern Italy and post-Scandinavia.
Kippenberger’s collection includes the jester bust. Credit: Antoine Feliz/BFA
Pinchuk’s collection comprises a large number of more recent pieces. Prior to his decision to donate them, Kippenberger estimated that the former hedge fund manager’s collection may be worth $1 billion.
Victor Pinchuk founded the New York-based hedge fund Steinhardt Partners in 1983. He has since become known for investing in the arts. In 2016, he was included on Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people.
In a statement, Pinchuk expressed pride at his recent achievements, but said he is not sure what the future holds.
“I’ve been reading books on Zen Buddhism about living a Zen life. But there are no Zen paths for art collecting. I think I’ll just go down the road and continue where I am and I’m going to have a wonderful life.”