By Oscar Lewis regarding Albert Maurice Bender: "A.M.B.: some aspects of his life and
times, begun in playful mood for his entertainment of his 75th birthday
and now completed for his sorrowing friends as a token of remembrance
and affection."
Born in 1866 and dying 3 1/2 months
before his 75th birthday, Bender was an important figure in the San
Francisco art world during the 1920s and '30s. Born in Dublin to a
German Jewish couple (his father was a rabbi), he immigrated to the U.S.
in his teens under the care of his uncle in San Francisco. Another
uncle hired him to work in his insurance company and the young Bender
eventually became a successful broker.
His cousin, Anne
Bremer, a respected San Francisco artist, inspired Bender to begin
collecting art just as he had collected rare books in his younger
years. Focusing his collection primarily on the work of local artists
(and art from China, Japan and Tibet), he was also interested in knowing
the artists and writers themselves, thus becoming acquainted with many
of them. His monetary assistance played a large role in the cultural
development of the Bay Area art scene and helped launch careers -- most
notably, that of photographer Ansel Adams by financing the publication
of his first portfolio and first book.
Additionally,
Bender was a prolific donor of artwork to many state galleries,
museums and libraries (as well the National Museum of Ireland which received 260 pieces of Asian art in memory of his mother). He was
also one of Diego Rivera's first American patrons and co-founder of the
Book Club of California. Oscar Lewis, the author of "A.M.B.," was once
secretary of the club. A San Francisco writer and historian, Lewis died
in 1992 at the age of 99.
