Sir Arthur Gilbert
Sir Arthur Gilbert was born Arthur Bernstein in London on 16 May 1913 to Polish-Jewish immigrant parents. On his marriage to Rosaline Gilbert in 1934 he took his wife’s surname. After retiring from his successful wholesale dressmaking business, he emigrated, with his family, to California where he made a second fortune in real estate development and acquisition.
It was while living in Los Angeles that Gilbert amassed his distinguished collection of gold, silver, gold boxes, enamel portrait miniatures, and micromosaics. Gilbert presented this collection as a gift to the nation in 1996 and it was displayed in a dedicated suite of galleries at Somerset House from 2001 to 2008, when it was transferred to the V&A.
Gilbert was knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in June 1999. He died in Los Angeles on 2 September 2001.
The Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert collection
The Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection of gold, silver, mosaics, gold boxes and enamel portrait miniatures was g…
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Event - Huguenot Silver Gilbert Collections
Thu 21 June 2012 13:00
GALLERY TALKS: Join Tessa Murdoch on a tour of Huguenot silver which includes work marked by first generation refugee goldsmith Pierre Platel and his former apprentice Paul de Lamerie whose customers included the Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole.
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