Electra Havemeyer Webb | |
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Born | Electra Havemeyer August 16, 1888 |
Died | November 19, 1960 (aged 72) |
Occupation | Art collector |
Spouse | James Watson Webb II |
Parent(s) | Henry Osborne Havemeyer and Louisine Elder Havemeyer |
Relatives | See Havemeyer family |
Electra Havemeyer Webb (August 16, 1888 – November 19, 1960) was a collector of American antiques and founder of the Shelburne Museum.[1]
The Shelburne Museum, on 45 acres near Lake Champlain, was started in 1947 by Electra Havemeyer Webb, a daughter of Henry O. Havemeyer, founder of the American Sugar Refining Company, and his wife, Louisine. The museum has been losing money steadily and is said to have had a deficit of more than $300,000 in 1994. ... The decision to sell some of its collection followed two years of debate among the museum's directors, which became so contentious that the board chairman, J. Watson Webb, son of Electra Havemeyer Webb, resigned in January. At the time, Mr. Webb said the museum's plans to sell valuable French Impressionist works given by his mother violated the code of ethics of the American Association of Museums, which forbids the selling of artworks for purposes other than acquiring more art.