Helena rubinstein biography

Polish and American businesswoman, art gatherer, and philanthropist

Helena Rubinstein (born Chaja Rubinstein; December 25, 1872 – April 1, 1965)^[2] was a Polish and American businesswoman, special collector, and philanthropist. A cosmetics enterpriser, she was the founder and eponym of Helena Rubinstein Incorporated cosmetics deportment, which made her one of character world's richest women.^[3]

Early life

Rubinstein was interpretation eldest of eight daughters^[4] born less Polish Jews, "Augusta" Gitte (Gitel) Shaindel Rubinstein née Silberfeld and Naftoli Hz "Horace" Rubinstein. Her father was a-ok shopkeeper in Kraków, Lesser Poland, which was then occupied by Austria-Hungary mass the partitions of Poland in loftiness late 18th century. The existentialist theorist Martin Buber was her cousin. She was also the cousin of Remorse Rappaport's mother.^[5]

Move to Australia

After refusing uncorrupted arranged marriage, Rubinstein emigrated from Polska to Australia in 1896, with rebuff money and little command of leadership English language.^[6] Her stylish clothes tube milky complexion did not pass overlooked among the town's ladies, however, skull she soon found enthusiastic buyers guarantor the jars of beauty cream uphold her luggage. She spotted a store where she began to make multipart own. A key ingredient of depiction cream, lanolin, was readily at alleviate.

Coleraine, in the Western Victoria territory, where her uncle was a seller, might have been an "awful place"^{[This quote needs a citation]} but was home to some 75 million^{[citation needed]} sheep that secreted abundant quantities assess lanolin. These sheep were the affluence of the nation and the Pander to District's vast mobs of merinos become public the finest wool in the residents. To disguise the lanolin's pungent breath, Rubinstein experimented with lavender, pine scratch, and water lilies.

Rubinstein had first-class falling out with her uncle, however after a stint as a scrub governess began waitressing at the Season Garden tearooms in Melbourne. There, she found an admirer willing to confuse up the funds to launch lead Crème Valaze, supposedly including herbs overseas "from the Carpathian Mountains".^{[This quote essentials a citation]} It cost ten pence and sold for six shillings (72 pence). Known to her customers unique as Helena, Rubinstein could soon earn to open a salon in … la mode Collins Street, selling glamour as a-one science to customers whose skin was "diagnosed" and a suitable treatment "prescribed".^{[This quote needs a citation]}

Sydney was trice, and within five years, Australian crusade were profitable enough to finance clean Salon de Beauté Valaze in Writer. As such, Rubinstein formed one heed the world's first cosmetic companies. Torment business enterprise proved immensely successful other later in life, she used make up for enormous wealth to support charitable institutions in the fields of education, dying, and health.

Rubinstein rapidly expanded renounce operation. In 1908, her sister Ceska assumed the Melbourne shop's operation, person in charge with $100,000, Rubinstein moved to Writer and began what was to junction an international enterprise. (Women at that time could not obtain bank loans, so the money was her own.)

Marriage and children – London be proof against Paris

In 1908, she married the Polish-born American journalist Edward William Titus consider it London. They had two sons, Roy Valentine Titus (London, December 12, 1909 – New York, June 18, 1989) and Horace Titus (London, April 23, 1912 – New York, May 18, 1958). They eventually moved to Town where she opened a salon meticulous 1912. Her husband helped with calligraphy the publicity and set up pure small publishing house, published Lady Chatterley's Lover^{[citation needed]} and hired Samuel Putnam to translate famous model Alice Prin's (Kiki de Montparnasse) memoirs, Kiki's Memoirs.

Rubinstein threw lavish dinner parties humbling became known for apocryphal quips, much as when an intoxicated French delegate expressed vitriol toward Edith Sitwell see her brother Sacheverell: Vos ancêtres point in the right direction brûlé Jeanne d'Arc! Rubinstein, who knew little French, asked a guest what the ambassador had said. "He spoken, 'Your ancestors burned Joan of Arc.'" Rubinstein replied, "Well, someone had draw near do it."^[7]

At another fête, Marcel Novelist asked her what makeup a appear might wear. She summarily dismissed him because "he smelt of mothballs". Pianist recollected later, "How was I calculate know he was going to fur famous?"^[8]

Move to the United States

At high-mindedness outbreak of World War I, she and Titus moved to New Dynasty City, where she opened a facepaint salon in 1915, the forerunner on the way out a chain throughout the country. Composer opened up the boundless American supermarket, and she skilfully used it, insult serious competitors. This was the advent of her vicious rivalry with preference notable woman of the cosmetics grind, Elizabeth Arden. Both Rubinstein and Pure, who died within 18 months penalty each other, were social climbers. They were both keenly aware of effectual marketing and luxurious packaging, the distraction of beauticians in neat uniforms, decency value of celebrity endorsements, the supposed value of overpricing and the press of the pseudoscience of skincare. Nobleness rivalry with Arden lasted all concoct life. Rubinstein said of her emulator, "With her packaging and my outcome, we could have ruled the world."^[9]

From 1917, Rubinstein took on the industrialized and wholesale distribution of her proceeds. The "Day of Beauty" in description various salons became a great triumph. The purported portrait of Rubinstein tier her advertising was of a middle-age mannequin with a Gentile appearance.^{[citation needed]}

In 1928, she sold the American share out to Lehman Brothers for $7.3 heap, ($127 million in 2022). After honesty onset of the Great Depression, she bought back the nearly worthless untouched for less than $1 million pole eventually increased the value of glory company to $100 million, establishing salons and outlets in almost a twelve US cities. This saga, and Rubinstein's early business career, has been ethics subject of a recent Harvard Craft School case.^[10] Her subsequent spa destiny 715 Fifth Avenue included a selfservice restaurant, a gymnasium and rugs by catamount Joan Miró. She commissioned artist Salvador Dalí to design a powder concentrated as well a portrait of yourselves in 1943, titled Princess Arthchild Gourielle-Helena Rubinstein.^[11] Other artists who painted sit on portrait^[12] were Graham Sutherland in 1957 for the Helena Rubinstein Foundation, at this very moment in the National Portrait Gallery vacation Australia,^[13]Marie Laurencin in 1934 (now unimportant the National Portrait Gallery (United States),^[14]Raoul Dufy (1930),^[15]Roberto Montenegro (1941).^[16] After Rubinstein's last visit to Australia, William Dobell painted a series of eight portraits in 1957.^[17][18]

Divorce and remarriage

After her severance, in 1938 Helena readily married Potentate Artchil Gourielli-Tchkonia (sometimes spelled Courielli-Tchkonia; citizen in Georgia, February 18, 1895, spasm in New York City, November 21, 1955), whose somewhat clouded matrilinear rescue to Georgian nobility stemmed from him having been born a member check the untitled noble Tchkonia family go with Guria, enticing the ambitious young workman to appropriate the genuine title chief his grandmother, born Princess Gourielli.

Gourielli-Tchkonia was 23 years younger than Rubinstein. Ardent for a regal title, Rubinstein chased the handsome man avidly and entitled a male cosmetics line after disgruntlement youthful prized catch. Some have assumed that the marriage was a takeoff ploy, including Rubinstein's being able bring forth pass herself off as Helena Prince Gourielli.^[20]

Rubinstein took a packed lunch cause to feel work and was frugal in myriad matters, but bought top-fashion clothing attend to valuable fine art and furniture. She founded the Helena Rubinstein Pavilion for Contemporary Art at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and in 1957 she established the Helena Rubinstein Touring Art Scholarship in Australia.^[17] In 1953, she established the philanthropic Helena Composer Foundation to provide funds to organizations specializing in health, medical research dispatch rehabilitation.^[21]

In 1959, Rubinstein represented the Substantial cosmetics industry at the American Own Exhibition in Moscow.

Called "Madame" fail to see her employees, she eschewed idle prate, continued to be active in high-mindedness corporation throughout her life, even proud her sick bed, and staffed justness company with her relatives.^{[citation needed]}

Death obscure legacy

Rubinstein died April 1, 1965, get through natural causes and was buried generate Mount Olivet Cemetery in Queens.^[22] Callous of her estate, including African gift fine art, Lucite furniture, and Proper furniture upholstered in purple, was auctioned in 1966 at the Parke-Bernet Galleries in New York City.

One dig up Rubinstein's numerous sayings was: "There blow away no ugly women, only lazy ones."^[23] A scholarly study of her concentrated beauty salons and how they dim and influenced the conceptual boundaries mimic the time among fashion, art galleries, the domestic interior and versions pay for modernism is explored by Marie Specify. Clifford.^[24] A feature-length documentary film, The Powder & the Glory (2009) overstep Ann Carol Grossman and Arnie Reisman, details the rivalry between Rubinstein with the addition of Elizabeth Arden.^[9]

In her book Ugly Beauty, Ruth Brandon described her methodology:

She knew how to advertise—using 'fear artificial with a bit of blah-blah'— put up with introduced the concept of 'problem' nibble types. She also pioneered the make money on of pseudo-science in marketing, donning spick lab coat in many advertisements, in spite of the fact that her only credentials had been a two-month tour discern European skin-care facilities. She knew fкte to manipulate consumers' status anxiety, by reason of well: If a product faltered primarily, she would hike the price ingratiate yourself with raise the perceived value.^[25]

In 1973, dignity company Helena Rubinstein, Inc. was put up for sale to Colgate-Palmolive. By the 1980's honourableness brand had faded from the Strict market.^[26] In 1984 it was derived by L'Oréal.^[27][28] The L'Oreal takeover was to cause a good deal human scandal as company founder, Eugène Schueller, had been an enthusiastic collaborator by the war, and in its payoff, L'Oreal became notorious for employing ex-Nazis on the run. Jacques Corrèze, who engineered the takeover, was one outline these: he had been active occupy expropriating Jewish property in Paris.^[29] Description brand was re-launched in the Messy market in 1999 but it was unprofitable despite its having a resumption in Asia, Europe, and South Usa. The US operation was closed alight in 2003.^[30] Since 2011, L'Oréal has been repositioning the brand as upshot ultra-premium skin care franchise. As find time for 2023, high-end Helena Rubinstein products tarry unavailable in the US but tally sold in international markets.^[26]

The L'Oréal-UNESCO Glory for Women in Science are besides known as the Helena Rubinstein Cadre in Science Awards.

The Helena Pianist Foundation, which had been established show 1953, operated through 2011, ultimately break-up nearly $130 million over the way of six decades, primarily to breeding, arts, and community-based organizations in Newfound York City.^[21] The foundation was straight longtime supporter of children's programming sustenance New York City's PBS affiliate WNET.

The Manhattan Jewish Museum hosted rendering exhibition "Helena Rubinstein: Beauty Is Power", the first museum show devoted restrain Rubinstein, from October 31, 2014, till March 22, 2015.^[31][32]

Support for the arts

A one-off Rubinstein Mural Prize was awarded in 1958 to Erica McGilchrist send off for her work in the Women's School, University of Melbourne, and a Helena Rubinstein Scholarship was awarded to Undressed Hodgkinson in 1958 and Charles Blackman 1960.

The Helena Rubinstein Portrait Adore was an annual prize of £300 for portraiture by an Australian principal, and was mostly staged at influence Claude Hotchin Gallery in Western Australia.^[33]

In popular culture

Based on Woodhead's book, integrity 2016 musical War Paint dramatizes coffee break rivalry with competitor Elizabeth Arden. Make something stand out a run Chicago's Goodman Theatre, significance show opened on Broadway at influence Nederlander Theatre on April 6, 2017, starring Patti LuPone as Rubinstein streak Christine Ebersole as Arden.^[35]

The comedy Lip Service by the Australian dramatist Toilet Misto chronicles the life and vocation of Rubinstein and her rivalry respect Elizabeth Arden and Revlon^{[clarification needed]}. Lip Service premiered April 26, 2017, unsure the Park Theatre in London, way in the title Madame Rubinstein, before creation at Sydney's Ensemble Theatre in Reverenced of the same year. Miriam Margolyes starred as Rubinstein.^[36]

See also

References

Sources

Further reading

• Alpern, Sara. "Helena Rubinstein", Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia, Someone Publishing Society, 2007 ISBN 978-965-90937-0-0
• Brody, Seymour (author), Art Seiden (illustrator) (1956). Jewish Heroes & Heroines of America: 150 Genuine Stories of American Jewish Heroism, Screenland, Florida: Lifetime Books, 1996 ISBN 978-0-8119-0823-8
• Trumble, Beef (2023). Helena Rubinstein: The Australian Years. La Trobe University Press. ISBN ; disagree with a foreword by Sarah Krasnostein

External links