I was in Maastricht to lead a group from our museum [the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco]a building committee, because we were building the de Young Museum at the time. if (getCookie(cookieNames[i]).length) { The residency featured concerts, family programs, and events that generated support for local youth charities. . What was your first purchase (and how much did you pay for it)? She claims the long, unpaved, tree-lined driveway as being her favorite spot on the property. Napa Valley Festival del Sole was founded by San Francisco Bay Area attorney and arts manager Richard Walker and IMG Artists Chairman Barrett Wissman. }; // ------------------------------------------------------------------- "Sean has every right in the world to write his story, and I applaud him for it, 100 percent." It personally hurts my feelings to have people talk about a city that I love and say, I dont want to go there anymore, she says, and you can hear the distress in her voice. She was born Diane Dow Buchanan in 1944, to Mr. and Mrs. Wiley T. Buchanan, Jr. She also is featured prominently in her stepson Sean Wilsey's memoir Oh the Glory of it All in which the author describes her as his "evil stepmother". I didnt feel any better. The catalyst was the Russian National Orchestras annual summer residency in Northern California, starting in 1999. Presumably, when the press tour begins, Wilsey, who is married, has a son and lives in New York, will explain the motivation for the book, whose release roughly coincides with the final stages of completion of the new de Young. You cant tell the difference. $('body').append(ouibounceScript); // Add animation css Tax ID 26-4008029. It was at Amity, a now-defunct reform school in Tuscany, that Wilsey was transformed. My parents always had friends around and there was a lot of entertaining, and summer was spent hereall summer.. Lorenza rose is produced by Michele Ouellet, a Napa Valley native and fashion model, and her mother Melinda Kearney. + 'Signup failed. if (generalSettings.loadFontAwesome) { var settings = cookieSettings[cookieName]; Wilsey and I are 30 minutes into an hour-long conversation, and I . On Thursday we open the Al Thani jewel collection, which is magnificent., Wilsey also sits on the boards of the San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Balletboth causes that she champions and supports. Dede Wilsey is a San Francisco socialite, Republican donor and philanthropist, and the widow of San Francisco businessman Al Wilsey. The strength of the book is that Sean Wilsey is a terrific writer. + '<\/div>' + '<\/style>' if (o[this.name]) { + '
dede wilsey napa
' expirationMinutes = daysToMinutes(settings.expiration_days); Diane (Dede) Wilsey relinquished the title of C.E.O. Then you suddenly say to yourself, Why in the world did I do that?! She is the granddaughter of Herbert . The fact that in the Bay Area no female is as graceful and giving as Wilsey. Photo courtesy of Spencer Brown. It seems that no matter where he lived, whether in reform school or high society life, people were jockeying for power -- and Wilsey was terrible at understanding and following the rules. Festival Napa Valley is presented by Napa Valley Festival Association, a nonprofit organization with a mission to bring the arts to all through world-class performances and inspiring arts education programs. Because we put on exhibitions of every kind. } San Francisco philanthropist Dede Wilsey underwrites the festival's dance series, which has featured dancers from American Ballet Theatre, Bandaloop, Bolshoi Ballet, . Giovanni Antonio Canal, Il Canaletto, Entrance to the Grand Canal looking East, with Santa Maria della Salute at right. And I typically react when I see something and it touches me. The home was built in the 1860s by H.W. By the time the company was sold, a few years ago, I was its longest-serving employee. I have to sit here, and we cant change places. Stepbrothers of Sean Wilsey. closedSignupBar: { + '<\/div>' Traina has his own Napa vineyard . Dede Wilsey, born Diane Dow Buchanan, was the great-granddaughter of the founder of Dow Chemical Co. I think everyone makes mistakes in the heat of the passion of buying something. Dede Wilsey, who grew up going to her family's newport home, beaulieu, photographed with her son todd So when a chance to team up with Town & Country presented itself later on, we leaped at the opportunity and set out to capture the Napa Valley we love. Perservation Society of Newport County, Yosernit Fund, Napa Valley Symphony Starlight Express, Nape Valley Symphony, SF Authority Of The Fine Arts Museums, Yosef Fund . Thats how I started collecting. var ca = document.cookie.split(';'); And the thing is, we come from wicker. (Well, almost. }, I kept looking around and finally I thought, maybe if I buy a happy painting, Ill feel better. 2023 Artnet Worldwide Corporation. ctx.submit($form, onSuccess); But its not just milestones that make the house special; its also everyday moments. 74 is the new 54 and Wilseys bubbly blonde beauty has not faded. Its as if shes seeing it for the first time. What work do you wish you had bought when you had the chance? Unfortunately, I had a friend for 13 years, and he died last August. checkCookies(); In 1980, she married dairy millionaire Wilsey, who had recently divorced his third wife, Pat Montandon. Dede Wilsey has been a supporter of the de Young Museum in San Francisco since 1998, but she only began collecting art for herself a few years later, when she was looking for a place to put her . Inside where the staircase isI looked over there and I sort of expected my parents to come down the stairs. Board of Supervisors and return motorists to the JFK Promenade through Golden Gate Park. The drive from San Francisco to the Napa Valley takes only a little more than an hour, but for tech entrepreneur and IfOnly CEO Trevor Traina and his wife, Swanson Vineyards creative director Alexis Swanson Traina, the two places feel as far away from each other as possible. It is loaned to the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis. We have a number of family portraits, of my grandparents and my mother, and pieces of furniture I grew up with in various houses, he says. Vittoria Benzine, link.href = fileName; Crabb, a Napa Valley pioneer who founded the To Kalon winery. He did drugs, got in fights at boarding school, stole money and even took his uncle's gun, at one point. There are no sociological pronouncements made. Along the way, theatrical and visual arts experiences expanded into . Its as if shes seeing it for the first time. (function defernl() { The picture was of a house, a villa. Al Wilsey, meanwhile, married Dede, who coolly co-opted Pat's position in San Francisco society, took over Pat's Napa Valley weekend dream house, and turned suddenly against Sean, hardening . Caillebotte. } e.preventDefault(); Traina was nominated by President Trump and approved by the Senate, before he moved his wife, Alexis Swanson Traina, and two children, to Europe. crossDomain: true, } Top Image: Carlo Mondavi is equal parts entrepreneur, winemaker, and goodwill ambassador. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Just fabulous. Since then, Dede has built a formidable collection of Impressionist art . By continuing to use our sites and applications, you agree to our use of cookies. }; "I love that quality in anybody because I think you have to be brave to tell the truth in life," Montandon said. document.body.appendChild(script); } Its not random. + '<\/div>' I have two sofas in two roomsone has a Hockney and the other a Picasso above it. Arriving at their historic, Victorian-style Oakville home, its easy to understand why the pairknown for their notable art collection, philanthropy and omnipresence on the San Francisco social scenepack up their kids almost every weekend and head here to unwind. Old, young, every ethnic group. While Wilsey is not the kind of household name that will automatically make his story a blockbuster, Penguin Press appears to be counting on Wilsey's story to have more than Bay Area appeal. + '<\/div>' A fabulous Caillebotte in London. if (c.indexOf(name) == 0) { The Koons egg in Dede Wilseys collection. Dec 12, 2022, By During lunch at her Napa Valley estate, a white Maltese sat on her lap, sniffing a plate of sliced peaches and . Lanier Residence was a stunning, historical backdrop for our cover shoot with Katie Holmes More, Were Over The Moon About This New Travel Registry, 2022 Holiday Gift Guide: The Best Edible Presents, Room Request! Its like having a mini-course every time we have a new exhibition. } submit: function($form, onSuccess) { To characterize Sean Wilsey's memoir Oh The Glory Of It All as just a scathing portrait of a wealth-obsessed home-wrecking stepmother would be selling the author short. St.Helena, CA 94574 // =================================================================== From left: Dede and Al Wilsey in 2001, Cissie Swig in 1992, Frances and John Bowes in 1995; Sharon Owsley in 1993 | San Francisco Examiner via Library of Congress + '
' I bought a [Mary] Cassatta woman with a baby. He hired Andre Tchelistche , godfather of American wine, and his young apprentice, Marco Cappelli, to make elegant and refined wines under the label Swanson. if ($modal.hasClass('slideInDown')) return; We cherish and support these important activities which renew our spirits and strengthen the bonds that build and inspire community., Rita and Rudy von Strasser, Community Supporter, A vibrant community arts program signals vitality and warmth, and Nimbus Arts is the spark that make these happen for us in Saint Helena., Alan Galbraith, Mayor of St. Helena and Supporter, Nimbus Arts has been a critical partner in providing a positive impact of art and art education to Napa County residents for more than a decade. After about 10 years, I wasnt sad anymore and I had lot of paintings. My lunch, if Im home, its on a tray with my dog. What is the most impractical work of art you own? Wilsey was a prominent Bay Area businessman and owner of Rutherford River Ranch Vineyard in Napa Valley. setTimeout(function() { defernl() }, 250); }, Al Wilsey died in 2002 at the age of 82. "I had a dirt bike and loved exploring the mountainside on it." if (jQuery(window).width() > 619) { Standard subscriptions can be purchased on the subscription page. I dont go to social partiesmost of the stuff I do is work., Her critics might scoff at her way of thinking, but Wilsey, spoken like a real powerhouse, doesnt give a damn. Their May engagement was followed in August by a garden wedding for 400 in the tiny Napa town of Oakville. The To Kalon vineyards, which are all around us, have several different owners now, but fetch some of the highest prices in the world for grapes, Trevor explains. Dede Wilsey has been a supporter of the de Young Museum in San Francisco since 1998, but she only began collecting art for herself a few years later, when she was looking for a place to put her energy after the death of her husband, dairy and real-estate tycoon Al Wilsey. + '