Arthur Wiener is being honored as the “Collector of the Year” at the inaugural Hamptons Jewelry & Objets d’Art show presented by Rick Friedman. The award ceremony on August 5 will follow a discussion panel about the Fired Arts of ceramics and glass, which are Arthur’s collecting passions. Friends of the Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts will be celebrating this accolade at the Art on Fire fund-raising reception at the Wiener residence in Remsenburg, NY on the evening of August 5.
At his home in the Hamptons, Arthur Wiener has created one of the country’s finest collections of Chihuly glass. He also loves fossil murals of fish and plants, formed more than 50 million years ago in Wyoming, which he displays as natural art. His greatest passion however is ceramic art and highlights of his extensive collection from the Ardmore studio in South Africa will be on show in the Hamptons on August 5.
Arthur Wiener acquired his first piece of pottery in 1965 when he traveled to London as a young college graduate, armed with Frommer’s seminal guidebook Europe on $5 a day. He blew his daily budget on a Royal Doulton character jug of Merlin the magician, which caught his eye in a china shop window because it has a Star of David on the handle. Merlin certainly cast a spell on Arthur as he went on to become an avid collector of Royal Doulton. In the early years, Arthur Wiener scoured antique shows, such as Atlantic City, where he met specialist dealers, including Ed Pascoe, Arron Rimpley, and Gregg Whittecar, who helped him build the largest Royal Doulton collection in the world. In 2013, with Arthur’s homes overflowing with his treasures, Arron facilitated the opening of the WMODA museum in Dania Beach, Florida.
The Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts is a 501c3, non-profit museum in Dania Beach, Florida with a mission to promote appreciation of ceramics and glass as art forms, to advance design education in the decorative arts, and to present cultural activities for the benefit of the community. To help him with his legacy collection, Arthur appointed Louise Irvine, a renowned expert in British ceramic art, as the curator and director of WMODA and she is responsible for the museum’s varied exhibitions and educational programs. The extensive Wiener collection of pottery and porcelain ranges from 18th century British pottery to Art Deco European porcelain and current exhibits include Carnival & Cabaret and The Art of Tea. The Hot Glass exhibit, featuring Chihuly and his followers, is one of the most popular attractions with visitors. In 2016, WMODA was selected from museums around the country to exhibit their stunning collection of Chihuly macchias at the Smithsonian Museum Craft Show in Washington, DC.
Arthur is very keen to share his life-long passion for collecting and leave a legacy for future generations to enjoy. He wants to give back to the country who took in his father and mother, Lithuanian refugees from war-torn Europe whose family died in the Holocaust. Paul Wiener was a dental technician who melted his family’s gold watch to start his business in Brooklyn. His wife Rose labored as a seamstress to make ends meet. Together they raised a successful family of lawyers, doctors, and business entrepreneurs. Arthur is the eldest son and studied law at Boston College. He and his wife, Paulette, have four children and two grandchildren.
“I want to share my love for the fired arts and leave a legacy to educate and inspire future generations about the importance of art in our lives and culture” Arthur Wiener.
