I dont go to social partiesmost of the stuff I do is work., Her critics might scoff at her way of thinking, but Wilsey, spoken like a real powerhouse, doesnt give a damn. St. Helena, CA 94574 $.ajax({ )+([a-zA-Z0-9]{2,4})+$/ } Once you really understand that you can make a difference, I think thats the bottom line of all philanthropy. His mother, philanthropist Dede Wilsey, is the powerhouse behind the 2005 reopening of the de Young Museum, the Herzog & de Meuron-designed fine arts temple. As soon as people start reading "Oh the Glory of It All," which reconstructs conversations and gives his version of his life history to date, they'll begin debating whether his views are accurate or not. Perservation Society of Newport County, Yosernit Fund, Napa Valley Symphony Starlight Express, Nape Valley Symphony, SF Authority Of The Fine Arts Museums, Yosef Fund . She said she would like to take us to somebodys house and show us a fabulous painting. $form.find('.invalid-email').show().siblings().hide(); To Wilsey, this is all in a days work and not something she brags about. + 'Please enter a valid email address' c = c.substring(1); Oct 21, 2022, By 707-963-0278 f She remains a prominent figure in the artistic and . When they rebuilt it, they modernized it and reworked some of the space. Shes given generously to the UCSF medical facilities, San Francisco Ballet and San Francisco Opera. When I first arrived at the French Laundry, Napa Valleys iconic images of vineyard-latticed hills dotted with chateaus and bountiful farms and orchards resonated with me. Vimeo. //default prefix is 'artnet_newsletter_' Photo courtesy of Spencer Brown. Although the exact amount she has donated over the years is not known, Wilsey helped bring in more than $200 million to rebuild the de Young Museum. h = Math.max(document.documentElement.clientHeight, window.innerHeight || 0), Napa Valley Festival del Sole was founded by San Francisco Bay Area attorney and arts manager Richard Walker and IMG Artists Chairman Barrett Wissman. Nonetheless, "we've had a good relationship," she said of Sean, "especially once he came back from the school in Italy, once he was happier with himself. Stepfather to Todd and Trevor Traina. I have two sofas in two roomsone has a Hockney and the other a Picasso above it. "Oh the Glory of It All," the coming-of-age story of troubled rich kid Sean Wilsey, won't arrive in bookstores until mid-May, but it's already the talk of the party circuit -- and is likely to become the juiciest gossip in years when the book is excerpted in the New Yorker in its April 11 issue, hitting newsstands this week. } I said, About how much?. The divorce of Wilsey and Montandon after 10 years of marriage was -- at the time -- one of the most expensive divorce cases in San Francisco history. I always regretted not buying it. checkCookies(); $modal.find('.newsletter-signup-thank-you').fadeIn('fast'); The home saw an addition by Crabb in the 1880s and a near total rebuild after a devastating fire more than a century later, in 1997. Dede Wilsey's House in Napa, CA (Google Maps) (#3) Napa, California (CA), US. In October, she funded the museums acquisition of Canalettos Venice, the Grand Canal looking East with Santa Maria della Salute. Bottlerock Napa Valley 2021 reminds us of what it means to just feel good again. email: /^([a-zA-Z0-9_\.\-])+\@(([a-zA-Z0-9\-])+\. That's the most powerful kind of memoir. "In my opinion, most of these books are written for one of three reasons -- money, self-aggrandizement or a vendetta," she said. function loadJQuery() { function daysToMinutes(numDays) { ", A Clean, Well-Lighted Place for Books has already lined up Wilsey for an appearance in May. All I knew about Napa was what I learned watching Falcon Crest. Iwas just visiting my one son who lives in Austria, now, she mentions casually. I must sit here behind this guard. And I said, Fine. Dede Wilsey. Wilsey's family got a direct thanks from the Trump administration for their past support . // Add animation css As my temporary unemployment began, I knew I wanted to use my free time to tell the story of the valley, and to do it in a way that would illuminate the fact that life here is no longer centered exclusively on wine. Festival Napa Valley was founded in 2006. New Homes . Thats scary. Right now we have Muslim fashions, we just closed Truth and Beauty, which was Pre-Raphaelite Art. Lorenza rose is produced by Michele Ouellet, a Napa Valley native and fashion model, and her mother Melinda Kearney. Deceased. I always intended to collaborate with my youngest sister, the photographer Claiborne Swanson Frank, on the project. By It doesnt work. By WWD Staff. My mother-in-law, here with my daughter Delphina, is known for philanthropy, her collectors eye, and, in Napa Valley, her vineyards in Rutherford surrounded by gardens and a miniature train station. As a child I knew I wanted to do what my grandfather [Robert] and father [Tim] did. found = false; Every once in a while Ill buy something so huge that I wonder, where will I put thisor so tiny that I cant really see it. Tatiana and Gerret Copeland, Peter T. Paul, Athena and Timothy Blackburn, Maria Manetti Shrem, Dede Wilsey, John Traina, and Robert and Margrit Mondavi, among others . ouibounceAPIaccess = ouibounce( Maupin doesn't think so. Fixed: Release in which this issue/RFE has been fixed.The release containing this fix may be available for download as an Early Access Release or a General Availability Release. + '<\/div>' She is the granddaughter of Herbert Henry Dow, founder of the American multinational conglomerate Dow Chemical. It never ceases to amaze me.. The Interview: The Joy of Generosity. A renowned artist, entertainer, and major league raconteur, Ira Yaeger also happens to be my mothers best friend. + '
dede wilsey napa
' Please try again later.' o[this.name] = [o[this.name]]; Well, Im sure there are several and Im sure I have sold them by now. A fabulous Caillebotte in London. In fact, we planned a big outdoor christening, but it rainedand it never rains in Napa. The quick-thinking couple cleared out all the furniture in the seldom-used formal parlor to allow about 60 guests to gather inside for the ceremony. There . And was this book written for revenge? nimbus arts, a community-based nonprofit, ignites artistic expression across the napa valley. Everything she says feels like it could be a secretand its utterly captivating. + '
' By year two, the festival added the free Bouchaine Vineyards-sponsored Young Artists concerts and the Dede Wilsey Dance Series. info@nimbusarts.org, 2023 nimbus arts tax ID: 27-1503762, Nimbus Arts } }, 5000); My fantasy was to be a gentleman farmer with three grapevines and art. She is the chairman emeritus of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. ". Michael Taylor decorated Trevors parents homes, and his grandmothers house in Newport, Rhode Island, was done in the 1960s by Valerian Rybar; Thomas Britt decorated the homes of Alexis parents. The festival underwent a major rebranding in 2016, changing its name to Festival Napa Valley. I dont know. Dede Wilsey. "A fact checker from the New Yorker called the other day, and every fact they checked with me was wrong," she said. 649 Main Street Hes an Australian. Nimbus responded by providing community mosaic events, which they do so incredibly well. She is a grandmother on the loose, with good taste. William Van Meter in Partnership With Royal Salute Scotch Whisky. San Francisco philanthropist Dede Wilsey underwrites the festival's dance series, which has featured dancers from American Ballet Theatre, Bandaloop, Bolshoi Ballet, . I was absolutely miserable. }, 100); + '' In fact, doing so is something of a family tradition. FIESTA Da de los Muertos celebrates life with music, dancing, art, and flowers. function setCookie(cname, cvalue, expMinutes, prefix) { Thirty-two years ago my serial entrepreneur father, Clarke Swanson, got an itch, a romantic notion of the American dream, and in the blink of an eye purchased a hundred acres in Napa Valley, on Oakville Cross Road. Also, theres no middle class in San Francisco. Unresolved: Release in which this issue/RFE will be addressed. Tweet. But hating Dede Wilsey, a San Francisco socialite and philanthropist, is the most enjoyable part of a memoir that is at once an effective coming-of-age tale, a touching love letter to aging parents, and a comic romp through . Kandinsky is not something I would normally buy, either. while (i--) { I cant imagine having nothing to do but lie there and read a book. please contact [emailprotected]. SignupForm.init($modal.find('form'), function onSuccess() { At Nimbus Arts, Neil teaches a myriad of dynamic and very popular blade smithing classes. A screen grab from Wednesday, August 21, shows the award for Dede Wilsey still includes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's name on Shanti's website. // don't show it on paywall-related pages where the user might be in the process Magic that celebrates ones surroundings. + '<\/div>' The home was built in the 1860s by H.W. Please log off from any other devices, and then reload this page continue. Dede Wilsey, born Diane Dow Buchanan, was the great-granddaughter of the founder of Dow Chemical Co. return c.substring(name.length,c.length); To find out if you are eligible for an Artnet News Pro group subscription, Oct 20, 2022, By Governed by a dedicated board of prominent vintners and local leaders, the Festival enriches the heart and soul of Napa Valley through its diverse programs. . He writes that Dede Traina was his mother's best friend and suggests his father had been involved with her romantically for some time before his breakup with Montandon. Neil Became a Teachers Assistant for these classes and about 5 years ago started to teach the classes himself. Its important for my children and my grandchildren to see whats become of the world and work to make it better. } regex: { // =================================================================== if (c.indexOf(name) == 0) { Hair and makeup by Sherrie Long (Molly Chappellet and Thomas Keller) and Bianca Rubi (all others). Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. I loved that painting. Im doing a good job and most of the people who really dont like me Ive never met anyway. link.rel = 'stylesheet'; Wilsey recently spoke to Artnet News from her San Francisco home, where commissioned portraits of her dogs share wall space with Monet and Kandinsky. She got a job at I. Magnin, married and divorced again and threw theme parties for the social set that attracted media attention. if (getCookie(cookieNames[i]).length) { The catalyst was the Russian National Orchestras annual summer residency in Northern California, starting in 1999. Really. the San Francisco Fine Art Museums nabbed it. } map, photo credits | site by tmarks | dev by, 2023 nimbus arts tax ID: 27-1503762, Galbraith, Mayor of St. Helena and Supporter, Continued Support from Napa County Art and Culture Advisory Committee, Benefits of Artmaking on Mental & Emotional Health, Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Co.s Nimbus Creativity Blend, CL 1 Foundations in Clay: Hand Building and Wheel Throwing Techniques, PD 1-2 High School Master Artists Open Studio. var ctx = this; On October 10, she emailed us an .css-gegin5{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#9a0500;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-gegin5:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}update after evacuating from Yountville, and this week, she sent us news that she and a number of local winemakers, chefs, and other concerned citizens (including many profiled in this story) have partnered with Tipping Point to form Napa & Sonoma Relief, a fund that will provide support to those most impacted by the fires. Which works or artists are you hoping to add to your collection this year? SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE PHOTO BYCHRISTINA KOCI HERNANDEZ CAT, Mr and Mrs Alfred Wilsey I buy a lot of Chinese export porcelain. There are no sociological pronouncements made. Contributing to the causes she believes in is her job and one that she takes very seriously. We needed a museum, and it had been there, it was just so damaged by the earthquake that it couldnt stay open anymore. * Generic setCookie() method, used by setNewsletterCookie(). While Wilsey is not the kind of household name that will automatically make his story a blockbuster, Penguin Press appears to be counting on Wilsey's story to have more than Bay Area appeal. My lunch, if Im home, its on a tray with my dog. Since then, the Trainas have made plenty of their own memories at the estate. She is the granddaughter of Herbert Henry Dow, founder of the American multinational conglomerate Dow Chemical. script.crossorigin = "anonymous"; He now works as an editor at large for McSweeney's, co-founded by Dave Eggers. $modal.addClass( $modal.hasClass('slideInUp') ? Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. var ctx = this; Facebook. o[this.name] = this.value || ''; } The reason I dont like to be called a socialite is I dont really do anything social. return numDays * 24 * 60; Everything awesome about summer in Napa Valley can be traced back to a glass of rosepeople sip it like water here. var ca = document.cookie.split(';'); closeSignupBar(); Mother of Sean Wilsey. You cant tell the difference. $('body').append(ouibounceScript); }, Dede Wilsey's House (Google Maps). function appendNewsletterSignup() { } There were two people in beautiful clothes, a man and a woman with a parasol, walking away from you. $modal[0], { The fact that they are all-inclusive. She recounts a recent party for museum directors that took place in the de Youngs tower on one of those rare San Francisco nights where there was no fog: It was so beautiful. Paul Pelosi's DUI arrest over Memorial Day Weekend in Napa has become major fodder for right-wing loons who have been misinformed that he's skirting any charges, but society doyenne Dede Wilsey . And it's notable that Trevor's mother is the brilliant Dede Wilsey, a breath-takingly effective fundraiser and philanthropist in San Francisco. function slideInModal(upOrDown) { "All of our good times were up here," Trevor, son of the late shipping mogul John Traina and the philanthropist Dede Wilsey, says of the six-acre property. The To Kalon vineyards, which are all around us, have several different owners now, but fetch some of the highest prices in the world for grapes, Trevor explains. socialites should set tongues wagging -- and other writers say it's not just trash talk, Mrs and Mrs Wilsey with Sean Patrick Wilsey, age 3, OPERA08D-C-07SEP02-MT-CKH --- Dede Wilsey attended theOpening night of the SF Opera pre-performance galas. + '' + '
' Carolyne Zinko, a native of Wisconsin, joined The San Francisco Chronicle in 1993 as a news reporter covering Peninsula crime, city government and political races. It personally hurts my feelings to have people talk about a city that I love and say, I dont want to go there anymore, she says, and you can hear the distress in her voice. Crabb, a Napa Valley pioneer who founded the To Kalon winery. Sean Wilsey was Al Wilsey's third son, from his third marriage. Along the way, theatrical and visual arts experiences expanded into . . For me it has always been the peoplea tapestry of interwoven multigenerational tribes made up of families, farmers, field-workers, wine- makers, chefs, and creative talent of all sorts. Traina has his own Napa vineyard . She was a part of the search committee that found the new director of the, Another thing she loves about the museums? To learn more about who we are and how you can play a part, contact us using the form below! $.fn.serializeFormJSON = function () { A naturally gracious hostess, Wilsey has an uncanny ability to make anyone feel comfortable. Nimbus Arts Alexis Trainas ode to Napa Valley, which appears in the November issue of Town & Country, went to the printers before the devastating fires broke out in California earlier this month. Festival Napa Valley celebrates musics unmatched power to enrich, uplift and inspire. } }); if(valid){ Then Montandon became hostess of a TV show, where she caught Al Wilsey's eye. We have such diversity in our exhibitions, and its a learning experience every time we open an exhibition. function initNewsletterSignup() { slideInModal('Down'); But I can understand what theyre talking about when you have human feces and syringes and all these things. + ' @media (max-width: 767px){ .close-signup {top:0 !important;} }' More than 200 artists, wineries, resorts, theaters, restaurants, chefs, and vintners participate each year, joining with audiences, patrons, staff and volunteers to create a vibrant and vital community. "Sean has every right in the world to write his story, and I applaud him for it, 100 percent." It was just magical. And she relishes the process that comes with each new exhibit. But ultimately, Wilsey made his peace with Montandon; he dedicates the book to her. + '' // dataType: 'json', Then I have to pinch myself and think no, its somebody else. data: JSON.stringify( $form.serializeFormJSON() ), init: function (formElement, onSuccess) { } I opened the French Laundry to celebrate the work of the farmers, fishermen, winemakers, foragers, and other purveyors who work directly with the land of this beautiful place. To read an interview with Sean Wilsey, author of "Oh the Glory of It All," log on to www.newyorker.com. It was at Amity, a now-defunct reform school in Tuscany, that Wilsey was transformed. pagetypeforce = pagetypeurl.substr(pagetypeurl.length - 3); It is very heavy. + 'Signup failed. Its the most beautiful picture of a girl in a fabulous negligee, lying on a sofa reading a book. She is the chairman emeritus of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. $email.focus(); + '<\/div>' A car with machine gun-armed men follows his armored vehicle. I dont care. Years later another dealer called about the same picture and the price was $22 million. if (!onSuccess) { .fail(function(jqXHR, textStatus){ Vittoria Benzine, She is the granddaughter of Herbert Henry Dow, founder of. As tough as he was on his parents and stepmother, he was also tough on himself. //if there are cookies indicating that we shouldn't show the signup bar, then the modal won't have been added to the page Gina Gallo and Jean-Charles Boisset were the only ones audacious (and legit) enough to purchase the Wappo Hill home that belonged to Bob and Margrit Mondavi. These pursuits along with her frequent appearances on the charity social circuit are why some people refer to Wilsey as a socialite. }); I couldnt care less. Thats me with my husband and partner in crime, Trevor Traina. He has two guards with him at all times. My sisters and I each found our creative passions early in life. } var initOuibounce = setInterval(function() { Share. In a six-month project with The Chronicle's investigative team, she recently revealed the misleading practices of a San Francisco fashion charity that took donations from wealthy philanthropists but donated little to the stated cause of helping the developmentally disabled. var ctx = this; ctx.customSerializer(); var d = new Date(); var $modal = $('#ouibounce-modal'); A writer and filmmaker (Golden Globe for, By Alexis Traina. I look at this picture all the time. The longtime supporter of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco on the Caillebotte that got away and the pleasures of pet portraiture. Since then, I have been buying 19th-century or early 20th-century Maltese or terriers. For the Fine Arts Museums, I recently bought a Canaletto at the Getty auction. appendNewsletterSignup(); In my bathroom, I have dog portraits and Chinese export porcelain. w = pagetype + 20 * Math.round(w / 20), h = pagetype + 20 * Math.round(h / 20), googletag.cmd.push(function() { He hired Andre Tchelistche , godfather of American wine, and his young apprentice, Marco Cappelli, to make elegant and refined wines under the label Swanson. "I don't think you can overestimate the size of the mushroom cloud that will appear over Pacific Heights," said author Armistead Maupin, whose 1976 serial "Tales of the City" provided a fictional mirror for real-life San Francisco personalities. Todd Traina is a film producer. if (jQuery(window).width() > 619) { She is the chairman emeritus of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Wilsey was a prominent Bay Area businessman and owner of Rutherford River Ranch Vineyard in Napa Valley. Immediately after the valley wildfires that devastated our community. }; I think everyone makes mistakes in the heat of the passion of buying something. setTimeout(function() { loadFontAwesome: false "I had a dirt bike and loved exploring the mountainside on it." TaxID#26-4008029. Want to stay ahead of the art world? } }, var o = {}; url: $form.attr('action'), function setNewsletterCookie(cookieName, value) { The fact that in the Bay Area no female is as graceful and giving as Wilsey. When she'd come to San Francisco in 1960, she was divorced from an Air Force major. Its unpleasant. On March 22, local booksellers gathered at the Presidio for a private meet-and-greet with Wilsey, an editor at large at McSweeney's Quarterly -- a hip, nationally distributed literary magazine co-founded by San Francisco author Dave Eggers. He arrived in Napa Valley at age 12 when his parents, Eleanor and Francis, bought a house and moved the family up from San Francisco. "The people who are in McSweeney's are rising stars. Dede Wilsey is a San Francisco socialite, Republican donor and philanthropist, and the widow of San Francisco businessman Al Wilsey. + '<\/div>' His millions came from his Wilsey Bennett Co., which manufactured edible oils, margarines and butter pats, and also from real estate investments. Trevor's father, the late John Traina, was a winegrower and vintner in the Napa Valley for many years. San Francisco is a character here, as is Tuscany. Her father was against the marriage. * There is probably no need to call this directly - use setNewsletterCookie(). e.preventDefault(); // Focus on the email input box Pin. This isnt the first reporter shes entertained, and its probably not the lastbut she is so candid I feel as if Im chatting with one of my oldest girlfriends. The Traina clan pulled out all the stops for their biennial Fourth of July barn dance held at the family's Napa Valley vineyard. San Francisco's high-society types are accustomed to life in the spotlight, but a new tell-all memoir is about to put them under the microscope as never before. //show automatically after delay Another aspect of her charm? The "Access for All campaign" submitted a petition to the San Francisco elections department Monday with enough signatures to get a measure on the November ballot. Microsoft has removed the Birds Eye imagery for this map. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). "Yes, it's set in San Francisco, and those of us who've lived here a long time know many of the characters and wonder how they'll feel about different parts of the book, but it's a universal story," said Elaine Petrocelli, co- owner of Book Passage in Corte Madera. } } Historically, its mind-blowing, she says. Memoir by son of S.F. Subscribe to our newsletter to get the breaking news, eye-opening interviews, and incisive critical takes that drive the conversation forward. Dec 5, 2022, By Steel and Traina split up in 1995. Her husband echoes the sentiment. He began to fantasize about her sexually as a teenager, trying to see her through his father's eyes. We interviewed and photographed peoplesome of whom appear in my book, some of whom dontwhose spirit, innovation, and creative gifts we think define this magical place today. The strength of the book is that Sean Wilsey is a terrific writer. But its great, I love it. From left: Dede and Al Wilsey in 2001, Cissie Swig in 1992, Frances and John Bowes in 1995; Sharon Owsley in 1993 | San Francisco Examiner via Library of Congress + '<\/div>' . So Im finally pulling myself together. "In any discussion about Napa Valley culture, the first two words that invariably come up are "wine" and "food." . /** . . prefix = 'artnet_newsletter_'; There were two choices: Be without one museum or rebuild it. Her first husband was steamship executive John Traina, whom she met in her hometown of Washington, D.C. Instagram. Put it in the basement of the Legion? Arriving at their historic, Victorian-style Oakville home, its easy to understand why the pairknown for their notable art collection, philanthropy and omnipresence on the San Francisco social scenepack up their kids almost every weekend and head here to unwind. Festival Napa Valley introduces audiences to the beauty, artistry and joy of dance through this innovative series. }, I knew the house prior to the fire, and I was so crazy for it, says Alexis, who moved from Florida with her family to the region in the mid-1980s. 3 of 17 4 of 17 Boaz Mazor and Dede Wilsey pose with models during the Opera Ball, celebrating the opening night of the San Francisco Opera Sept. 9, 2016 in San Francisco, Calif. Leah Millis/The . I have been told by friends that people think that Im intimidating and I thought it was the funniest thing Ive ever heard, Dede Wilsey says.