Christophe de Menil, a prominent figure in the worlds of art, design, and philanthropy, died on August 5 at her Manhattan home. She was 92 years old. Her passing was confirmed on Monday, August 11, by her brother, George de Menil, who noted she had been bedridden with arthritis.
Born Marie-Christophe de Menil in Paris on February 5, 1933, she was the eldest child of John and Dominique de Menil. Her life was characterized by extraordinary wealth and deep artistic engagement, mirroring the path carved by her esteemed parents. They famously utilized their substantial fortune, derived from the Schlumberger multinational oil-field services company, to establish one of the world’s most extensive private art collections and to fund the construction of museums.
The genesis of this family’s immense wealth traces back to her mother’s lineage, the Schlumberger enterprise, founded by her great-uncle Marcel and her grandfather Conrad Schlumberger, a physicist. These two pioneering figures developed well-logging, a technique utilizing the earth’s electrical resistance to precisely locate oil deposits. Early in their lives, her parents strategically placed half of their Schlumberger company shares into trust funds for their five children, ensuring a formidable financial legacy for each.
Her family’s privileged life in Paris was disrupted by the onset of World War II. As Nazi forces advanced, her mother, Dominique, embarked on a perilous journey, fleeing to Marseilles with young Marie-Christophe, her sister Adelaide, and baby brother George. The children contracted chickenpox in Marseilles, necessitating their mother to ingeniously wrap them in loden coats to conceal their spots during their westward trek.
Their arduous journey led them to Bilbao in northern Spain, where they boarded a small freighter bound for Cuba. In Havana, they were reunited with their father, who had arrived from his base managing Schlumberger operations in Romania. The family then proceeded to Houston, the American base for Schlumberger, where Christophe would spend her formative years and where her younger siblings, Francois and Philippa, were born.
Houston became the backdrop for the de Menils’ opulent and cultured life, eventually becoming home to the renowned Menil Collection. This museum now houses the vast art holdings meticulously assembled by Ms. de Menil’s parents, a testament to their profound commitment to the arts. The family also maintained a residence in New York, cultivating social circles that embraced a diverse array of artists, architects, poets, playwrights, and Black activists.
Ms. de Menil’s inherent unconventionality manifested early in her life. At her debut in 1952, she made a distinctive statement by wearing a white four-leaf clover gown designed by the acclaimed Charles James. Despite its considerable weight, nearly 15 pounds, she glided across the ballroom floor with effortless grace, an unexpected touch of pedal pushers worn beneath the grand attire adding to her unique flair.
In the spring of 1959, she married Robert Thurman, who was eight years her junior. Mr. Thurman subsequently entered Harvard that autumn, though he would drop out two years later, driven by wanderlust and a quest for enlightenment through Buddhism. He embarked on a journey toward India, by way of Turkey and Iran, leaving behind their infant daughter, Taya, and his wife, who he was quoted as saying, was “nervous, scared of the whole thing.”
Ms. de Menil, however, maintained for years that his destination was not India, but rather the mountains of Mexico, where he had proposed camping and exploring mind-altering drugs. She deemed neither activity appropriate for an infant, contributing to the dissolution of their marriage. Mr. Thurman later became a distinguished scholar of Buddhism and a monk, eventually marrying a German-Swiss model who had previously been married to Timothy Leary, the prominent proponent of LSD. Their child, born in Mexico in 1970, is the acclaimed actress Uma Thurman, making Taya and Uma half-sisters.
After her first marriage concluded, Ms. de Menil enrolled at Columbia University in 1963 to pursue studies in religion. During this period, she initiated her notable “Midsummer” series, a collection of parties and exhibits hosted in the Hamptons. These gatherings served as platforms for showcasing the talents of avant-garde artists such as the choreographer Twyla Tharp, the composer La Monte Young, and the multimedia artist Robert Whitman.
It was through her work as a sound coordinator on Hans Namuth’s documentary about Willem de Kooning that Ms. de Menil cultivated a personal relationship with the esteemed artist. She recounted de Kooning’s playful remark, “You think you’re hot potatoes? I’m hot potatoes,” reflecting a comfortable rapport. This connection eventually led her to become a collector of de Kooning’s works, further cementing her engagement with contemporary art.
Her commitment to the arts extended to architectural patronage. She introduced the Los Angeles architect Frank Gehry to New York by commissioning him to redesign her Upper East Side carriage house in Manhattan. However, this relationship ended contentiously, with Ms. de Menil reportedly firing Gehry over a glass of champagne, expressing dissatisfaction with his radical proposal to gut the townhouse and create two separate buildings, connected by a bridge, for herself and her teenage daughter. The architect Paul Lubowicki, an associate of Mr. Gehry’s, recounted to The Los Angeles Times in 1998, “I think she was afraid of it.”
To finance the ambitious transformation of her residence into what effectively became a fashion atelier, Ms. de Menil made a significant decision in 1965. She sold more than $2 million worth of major paintings at a Sotheby Parke Parke-Bernet auction, a sum equivalent to approximately $20.7 million in current value. She eventually sold the carriage house in 1987 to the art dealer Larry Gagosian and relocated to a Park Avenue apartment.
By 1976, Ms. de Menil was firmly established in New York, maintaining both her Manhattan residence and a country house on the East End of Long Island. It was around this time that she honed her innate talent for creating clothes and jewelry, attracting the attention of avant-garde theater director Robert Wilson. Their collaboration began in 1980, with Ms. de Menil designing costumes for his productions for the subsequent two decades.
Among the notable Wilson productions for which she crafted costumes were “The Golden Windows” and his monumental 12-hour opera, “The Civil Wars: A Tree Is Best Measured When It Is Down,” featuring music by Philip Glass. Her approach to fashion transcended conventional design, leaning instead towards pure invention. She relished in provoking audiences, as exemplified by an ivory foam rubber gown she wore to a waltz in 1984.
That same year marked the presentation of her first major collection, aptly named XS. The fashion reporter John Duka of The New York Times pointed out the intentional double entendre, noting that the name could be interpreted as “‘Excess,’ in case anyone missed the point.” Ms. de Menil articulated her philosophy to The Times in 1986, stating, “I’m extreme, and I have strong tastes.”
She continued, “I get that so much from my mother — decide what you’re aiming at and strike out after it. Before, I did things for others, and now I’m doing something for myself. Flowering, in a way. Expanding. Now I have a vocation and much better bearings.” This period marked a significant expansion of her creative and professional identity.
Simultaneously, Ms. de Menil leveraged her considerable fortune to support a diverse roster of artists. Her patronage extended to figures such as Philip Glass, La Monte Young, Twyla Tharp, the choreographer Trisha Brown, for whom she also designed costumes, and the composer Terry Riley. Her financial backing also enabled the Metropolitan Museum of Art to acquire Michael Heizer’s impressive 46-ton Guennette sculpture, a work crafted from warm pink granite.
As a society grande dame, Ms. de Menil was celebrated for her inveterate party-giving, drawing a distinguished guest list that included luminaries such as Robert Rauschenberg, Merce Cunningham, Kitty Carlisle Hart, Susan Sontag, John Cage, and Patricia Kennedy Lawford. Her gatherings were known for being lively and inebriated, earning her the affectionate moniker “Prosecco” in some circles.
She prided herself immensely on her own creative endeavors, particularly her fashion and jewelry designs, often viewing them as rivaling the work of her more celebrated peers. At her debut presentation in 1984, before an audience that included fashion and society titans like Marie-Hélène de Rothschild and Bianca Jagger, Mr. Duka of The Times observed, “When Miss de Menil descended the stairs to greet her audience, she may have thought she had joined the ranks of Carolina Herrera and Jacqueline de Ribes.”
Years later, her self-confidence remained unwavering. At a society event in East Hampton in 2012, when a young blogger inquired about her favorite designer, Ms. de Menil’s response was characteristically bold: “Alexander McQueen. And also myself.” This statement encapsulated her independent spirit and her profound belief in her own artistic voice.
Her connection to the art world was deeply personal and began in childhood. She was surrounded by masterpieces in her parents’ home, but her engagement intensified after her first divorce. Reflecting on her decision to introduce young artists to galleries, she stated, “People trust me—I have no ulterior motive. I’m not trying to make [the galleries] rich or the artists rich or anything,” underscoring her genuine commitment to artistic development.
Ms. de Menil shared a particularly close bond with her eldest grandson, Dash Snow, an artist whose work was exhibited at the 2006 Biennial at the Whitney Museum of American Art. She considered him a “soulmate” and a “great artist,” understanding him in a way few others did. Despite his struggles with drugs, she steadfastly supported him as an artist, creating a profound connection that Robert Wilson noted he “did not have that kind of relationship with his mother.”
Dash Snow, who tragically died of a drug overdose at 27 in 2009, ran with a notable group of artists, including Dan Colen and Ryan McGinley, embodying a downtown artistic milieu of the early 2000s. His controversial work, which often incorporated his life experiences and unconventional materials, garnered solo shows and critical recognition, with his pieces acquired by prominent collectors such as Dakis Joannou and Charles Saatchi.
The loss of Dash Snow deeply affected Ms. de Menil. Her apartment continued to bear poignant reminders of their playful relationship, including Polaroids taken in a Los Angeles hotel room where they stayed while Dash completed community service. Tobias Meyer, Sotheby’s worldwide head of contemporary art, observed that Christophe and Dash “took great delight in each other,” further noting Ms. de Menil’s “understanding of people that’s instinctive. She understands how artists are.”
In her later years, Ms. de Menil’s private life garnered public attention due to a lawsuit filed in 2021 by Alina Morini, who identified herself as Ms. de Menil’s longtime live-in companion. Ms. Morini alleged that Ms. de Menil, who was ailing at the time, was being subjected to “forced and currently ongoing isolation” at the hands of her daughter, Taya Thurman.
Ms. Morini claimed she had spent 15 years working for Ms. de Menil and six years residing with her as an assistant, caregiver, and friend. She further alleged that she was “falsely arrested” on trespassing charges and detained by authorities for 30 hours, an incident she contends was orchestrated by Taya Thurman. The lawsuit sought at least $5 million in restitution for false arrest, imprisonment, and wrongful eviction, though it was dismissed in New York State Supreme Court the following year.
The allegations were met with strong denials from Taya Thurman’s lawyer, Sheila Tendy, who described them as “reprehensible” and “absolutely false.” Ms. Tendy asserted that the lawsuit was a “ploy intended to influence other legal proceedings” and that “Alina is asking for $5 million for herself. Her claims are to smear the family for financial gain, period.”
Concerns from Ms. de Menil’s friends regarding her well-being were also reported. Attorney Robert Hantman, representing Ms. Morini, stated that people close to Ms. de Menil were “cut off and concerned.” Robert Wilson, the director, expressed similar worries, noting, “I’m concerned about her well-being. Christophe is one of my oldest and closest friends. I have tried for a little over a year now to be in touch, and I have not heard back from her. It is very disturbing.”
Nico Iliev, a friend of Ms. de Menil’s for 15 years, conveyed his alarm in a letter to an assistant district attorney, claiming Ms. de Menil’s isolation began with the pandemic. He detailed that locks had been changed, cameras installed, and her phones disconnected. Mr. Iliev recounted a brief 17-minute visit during which Ms. de Menil confided, “I am in jail,” further intensifying concerns among her circle.
Ms. Morini provided a perspective on the complex relationship dynamics, noting that Ms. de Menil and her daughter Taya, had reportedly been estranged for “more than 30 years” prior to these recent events. She alleged that Taya “had her wrongfully and illegally expelled from Christophe’s residence,” after Ms. Morini had resided there for six years. Ms. Morini stated that Taya “started harassing me, and she bullied me to go to a hotel,” which the de Menil family paid for.
Ms. Morini also claimed that an attorney, Cesar de Castro, listed as “counsel to the firm” on Ms. Tendy’s law website, advised her to return to Ms. de Menil’s townhouse after more than a month at the hotel. Ms. Morini recalled Ms. de Menil’s joyful greeting, “‘Oh, my Lu Lu is back’ — that’s her nickname for me,” just before the police arrived.
Ms. Tendy countered the narrative regarding Mr. de Castro, stating, “Cesar de Castro has his own law firm. He is of counsel to my firm. While the family had no obligation to pay for counsel for Alina, they did so out of courtesy to her. Alina could have chosen any attorney she wanted.” She also dismissed Ms. Morini as “a disgruntled person who was arrested for conning her way into Christophe de Menil’s home.”
A statement attributed to Christophe de Menil herself was provided to The Post, which read: “I recognize Alina Morini’s words for what they are, and I’m very sorry and disappointed. I love my daughter, and she has taken good care of me. I don’t support this lawsuit, and I wish it would stop.” This statement presented a different facet of the family dynamics.
Agathe Snow, Dash Snow’s widow, offered a succinct and poignant perspective on the family’s turmoil, stating, “Not trying to get involved in their messes any longer. I cannot surround myself with such bad energy. It is the same story over and over again, no imagination, no soul, and no care.” Her words underscored the persistent complexities within this renowned art-world family.
Christophe de Menil’s life was a vibrant tapestry woven with threads of immense wealth, profound artistic passion, and an unwavering commitment to creative expression. From her role as a generous patron supporting legendary artists to her own inventive forays into fashion and jewelry design, she carved out a distinctive place in the cultural landscape. Her legacy is one of singular vision, daring independence, and an enduring influence on the avant-garde.
She leaves behind a rich and complex narrative, marked by both remarkable public achievements and challenging private struggles. Her journey, from a privileged Parisian childhood interrupted by war to her impactful contributions to the American art scene, reflects a life lived with intensity and an unyielding dedication to nurturing artistic talent in its many forms. Her spirit, both irreverent and deeply discerning, will continue to resonate within the annals of art and society.
