About Peggy and David Rockefeller
David Rockefeller (1915-2017) is remembered as one of the United States’ most deeply engaged and influential civic leaders. In the 1950s and 1960s he spearheaded the rebuilding and revitalisation of Wall Street and that area’s emergence as the world’s financial capital, and later founded the Partnership for New York City to foster cooperation between the private sector and government. David Rockefeller led Chase Manhattan Bank for more than a decade, successfully expanding the bank’s international operations to more than 100 countries.
As a philanthropist, he provided visionary leadership and financial support to various organisations, serving as chairman for many years of Rockefeller University, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Americas Society/Council of the Americas and The Museum of Modern Art.
David was the last surviving grandson of John D. Rockefeller, the great industrialist who consolidated the American petroleum industry and founded the Standard Oil Company in the 19th century, subsequently building a fortune that made him one of America’s first billionaires and his family one of the richest and most influential in the nation’s history. Peggy McGrath Rockefeller (1915-1996) was a dedicated conservationist, a board member of the American Farmland Trust in Washington, and was a founder of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust in Topsham, Maine. David and Peggy married in 1940 and for more than half a century were true partners in family, philanthropy and art.
The Peggy and David Rockefeller Collection represents two individuals’ extraordinary dialogue with art and the world — a staggering collecting achievement extending across geography, history and medium. In its breadth and depth, it is unrivalled in modern times, encompassing thousands of works held at the Rockefellers’ residences in Manhattan, Pocantico Hills, the Hudson Valley, Maine, and beyond. It is a testament to Peggy and David’s knowledge, passion and connoisseurship that they lived surrounded by masterpieces of the art-historical canon.
David’s philanthropy was rooted in his belief in the power of individuals and communities to create a better world — the continuation of John D. Rockefeller, Senior’s ‘art of giving’. He was the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Grand Cross of the French Legion of Honour, the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, and numerous other awards.
In 2010 David signed the Giving Pledge, further confirming his plans to direct the majority of his personal wealth towards philanthropy. He noted at the time: ‘Our family continues to be united in the belief that those who have benefited the most from our nation’s economic system have a special responsibility to give back to our society in meaningful ways.’
For general enquiries about the Rockefeller auctions, contact rockefeller@christies.com
