Fritz Gunter Sachs[1]colloquiallyGunter Sachs(14 November 1932 – 7 May 2011) alsoGunter Sachs von Opelwas a German-born Swiss industrial heir, socialite, art collector, photographer and author.[2]
Gunter Sachs | |
|---|---|
 Sachs in 1978 | |
| Born | Fritz Gunter Sachs 14 November 1932 |
| Died | 7 May 2011(aged 78) Gstaad,Switzerland |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Citizenship |
|
| Education | Institut auf dem Rosenberg |
| Occupation(s) | Industrial heir, socialite, art collector, photographer, author |
| Spouses | Annemarie Faure
(m.1956; died 1958)Mirja Larsson
(m.1969) |
| Children | 3, includingRolf |
| Relatives | Wilhelm von Opel(grandfather) Fritz von Opel(uncle) |
| Signature | |
 | |
He was primarily known for hisjet set lifestyleinSt. MoritzandSt. Tropezand then gained international fame as a documentaryfilm-maker,documentaryphotographer, and as third husband ofBrigitte Bardot.[3][4]
Early life and education
edit
Sachs was born 14 November 1932 onMainberg CastlenearSchweinfurt,Weimar Republic(presently Germany), the younger of two sons, toWilly Sachs,an industrialist and sole owner ofFichtel & Sachs,an automotive parts manufacturer, andElinor Sachs(néevon Opel; 1908–2001).[5][6]He had an older brother,Ernst Wilhelm Sachs(1929–1977), who died in anavalanche.Through an affair of his father he has a younger half-brother, Peter Sachs (néHirnböck; born 1950).
His mother was Eleanor, the daughter ofWilhelm von Opel,co-founder of the automakerOpel;his father wasWilly Sachs,sole owner ofFichtel & Sachs,a leading manufacturer of ball bearings inSchweinfurtand one of Germany's biggest automobile suppliers.[7]Willy was friendly withHermann GöringandHeinrich Himmler[8][9]and arrested by the American military after the war but finally declared a follower and released. Gunter Sachs commented on his father's past in several publications.[10]Willy committed suicide in 1958 by shooting himself.[11]
Sachs is said to have been educated atInstitut auf dem RosenberginSt.Gallen,Switzerland.[12]He later studied maths and economics.[7]
Personal life
editDuring his early years as aplayboy[11]he was romantically linked to the former Iranian empressSoraya Esfandiary.In 1956, Sachs married firstly to Anne-Marie Faure (1934–1958), originally fromParis, France,who died shortly after the marriage fromanesthesia failureafter a car crash.[13][14]They had one son together;
- Rolf Sachs(born 1955), an internationally renowned artist, married firstly to Iranian-bornMaryam Banihashem;three children, secondly in a relationship withMafalda von Hessen.[15]
After the death of his first wife, Sachs courtedBrigitte Bardot,by flying over her villa on theFrench Rivierain a helicopter and dropping hundreds of roses. On 14 July 1966 they were married inLas Vegas.They divorced in 1969 without issue.[13]
On 26 November 1969, Sachs married the former Swedish model Mirja Larsson (born 1943), in acivil ceremonyinSt. Moritz, Switzerland.A wedding reception was held atBadrutt's Palace Hotel.The ceremonial wedding was announced to happen on the hunting grounds of Sachs' estate inBavaria, Germany.[16][17][13]They had two sons:
- Christian Gunnar Sachs (born 1971)
- Claus Alexander Sachs (born 1982)
In addition to his German nationality, Sachs received Swiss citizenship in 1976.[11]
Death
editSachs died by suicide on 7 May 2011 by a gunshot wound to the head[18][19]at his home inGstaad,Switzerland. The suicide note stated that he acted because of what he defined as "hopeless illness A." (which some have speculated to beAlzheimer's[20]) adding that "The loss of mental control over my life was an undignified condition, which I decided to counter decisively".[13]
Sports
editFrom 1969 until his death, Sachs was the chairman of theSt. Moritz Bobsleigh Club.[21]Turn 13 of theSt. Moritz-Celerina Olympic Bobrunis named in his honour.[citation needed]
Art collector
editSachs' extensive art collection included works byJean Fautrier,Andy Warhol,René Magritte,Salvador Dalí,Roy Lichtenstein,Tom Wesselmann,Mel Ramos,andAllen Jones.He also owned important pieces from theNouveau réalismeschool includingYves Klein,Jean Tinguely,Arman,andMartial Raysse.[22]Many of these artists were involved in the 1969 design of the legendary pop-art-apartment in the tower of thePalace Hotelin St. Moritz, which quickly gained the art world's attention. From 1967 to 1975 Sachs, together withPrince Konstantin of Bavaria,co-founded and headed the association for the Modern Art Museum in Munich (MAM), which lobbied for the construction of a comprehensive museum of contemporary art in Munich and mounted monthly exhibitions atVilla Stuck.Victor Vasarely,Georg Baselitz,Heinz Edelmann,Christo,Cy Twombly,Alexander Calder,Heinz MackandJean Tinguely,Roy Lichtenstein,andGotthard Graubnerfound their way into the rooms of the museum.
In 1972 Sachs opened a gallery in Hamburg and organised the first European exhibition of his friend Warhol. In 1974, he commissioned Warhol with a series of silkscreen portraits of his ex-wifeBrigitte Bardot.[23]In May 2006, Sachs sold one of Warhol's silk screens of Bardot at auction for $3 million.[24]The Sachs family sold part of his collection of Pop Art and Nouveau Realisme throughSotheby'sin May 2012.
Photographer
edit
From 1972 Sachs worked as a professional photographer. In 1973 he caused a stir with the first nude photograph for French Vogue. In 1991 he worked withClaudia Schifferon the "Heroines" series. He gained international recognition in 1974 with a special show at thephotokinatrade show for which he also designed the official exhibition poster. In 1976 he was awarded theLeica Award.At the 'German photo days' and the photokina he received prizes for "Die Farbe Weiss" in1994and for "Die Farbe Rot" in 1995.[citation needed]
The focus of his photography are surreal nudes and landscapes, which were published in no less than seven image volumes. Early on, Sachs also experimented with digital photography. The proceeds from the sale of his photographs and illustrated books went into the Mirja Sachs Foundation, which helps children in need.[25][citation needed]
Astrological research
editSachs' methodology and the statistical analysis have been criticised by mathematicians. They found serious errors in all parts and deny anystatistical significanceafter the necessary corrections in his data.[26]
Literature
edit- Sachs, Gunter:The Astrology File: Scientific Proof of the Link Between Star Signs and Human Behaviour.Orion Books (December 1999).ISBN0-7528-1789-2
- Elwell, Dennis:Cosmic Loom,2nd edition 1999. The Urania Trust.ISBN0-04-133027-7.Discussion and interpretation of some of Gunter Sachs results and related material.
References
edit- ^"Fritz Gunter SACHS personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK".find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk.Retrieved16 December2024.
- ^"Gunter Sachs, Ex-Husband of Brigitte Bardot, Dies at 78 (Published 2011)".The New York Times.10 May 2011.
- ^Johnson, Jamie (10 May 2011)."Death of a Riviera Playboy: Gunter Sachs Departs the Party".Vanity Fair.Retrieved16 December2024.
- ^"Gunter Sachs: Playboy and husband of Brigitte Bardot who helped put".10 May 2011.
- ^"Billionaire playboy Gunter Sachs commits suicide over illness".The Montreal Gazette.8 May 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 10 May 2011.Retrieved8 May2011.
- ^"Elinor Kirchner von Opel ist tot - WELT".DIE WELT(in German).Retrieved16 December2024.
- ^ab"Ex-German Playboy Gunter Sachs commits suicide".Asian News International.London. 9 May 2011.Retrieved19 July2013.
- ^"'Schweinfurt Under the Swastika'".Archivedfrom the original on 27 March 2019.Retrieved12 February2009.
- ^Wilfried Rott: 'Der braune Schatten' (German)[permanent dead link]
- ^'Ich stand nie für das Ewig-Gestrige', (German)Süddeutsche Zeitung,13 February 2006.
- ^abcLegendary Playboy Gunter Sachs is DeadArchived9 April 2012 at theWayback Machine(German)Der Spiegel,8 May 2011.
- ^Aschwanden, Erich (19 January 2022)."Behind the doors of Switzerland's most elite boarding school".Neue Zürcher Zeitung(in German).Retrieved4 February2023.
- ^abcdBruno Waterfield (8 May 2011)."Gunter Sachs, former husband of Brigitte Bardot, shoots himself in Swiss chalet".Telegraph.London.Retrieved8 May2011.
- ^"Playboy auf Lebenszeit".www.merkur.de(in German). 13 November 2002.Retrieved18 June2021.
- ^"Rolf Sachs Can't Live Without Them".airmail.news.Retrieved16 December2024.
- ^"Der Bund 26. November 1969 — e-newspaperarchives.ch".www.e-newspaperarchives.ch(in German).Retrieved16 December2024.
- ^"People: Nov. 14, 1969".Time.14 November 1969. Archived fromthe originalon 19 August 2008.
- ^Belgian news reportArchived11 May 2011 at theWayback Machine
- ^"German news report".FOCUS Online.Archivedfrom the original on 11 October 2012.Retrieved8 May2011.
- ^"German photographer and 'playboy' Gunter Sachs commits suicide".Deutsche Welle.Retrieved9 May2011.
- ^"Brigitte Bardot's ex commits suicide".Toronto Sun.8 May 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 10 May 2011.Retrieved8 May2011.
- ^Mark Brown (7 May 2011),The Gunter Sachs appeal – life and legacy of the playboy art collectorArchived19 February 2019 at theWayback MachineThe Guardian.
- ^James Tarmy (October 10, 2014),Warhol’s Screen Sirens, Socialites May Fetch $57 MillionArchived15 December 2014 at theWayback Machine[Bloomberg]
- ^Dennis Heves (9 May 2011),Gunter Sachs, Ex-Husband of Brigitte Bardot, Dies at 78Archived15 March 2016 at theWayback MachineNew York Times.
- ^Koruhn, Petra (8 May 2011)."Gunter Sachs - Freitod wegen Alzheimer".www.derwesten.de(in German).Retrieved18 June2021.
- ^Basler, Herbert (1998).""Die Akte Astrologie" von Gunter Sachs aus Sicht der Mathematischen Statistik ".Skeptiker(in German).11(3).Gesellschaft zur wissenschaftlichen Untersuchung von Parawissenschaften.Retrieved1 September2014.