I was very sad to hear from Jean-Yves Boutaudou that Gabor Wilhelm had died peacefully on 8th June, at almost 100 years of age, it was news we knew would be coming but which we did not ever want to hear. Described by one collector as “the All Father Odin” of the netsuke world Gabor was the ultimate collector, an inspiration to collectors of all means.
His life was an extraordinary one. After a student uprising in 1956 that was followed by the arrival of Soviet tanks in Budapest days later, Gabor joined a mass exodus from Hungary to the then-neutral territory of Austria. Overwhelmed by the numbers, Austria appealed to the rest of Europe to help resettle these refugees. Together with two friends, Gabor expected to be transferred to Holland, but as it transpired, they were instead given passage to Paris. At first life was hard and with no money they were obliged to sleep under bridges while they sought work. Gabor took casual work helping to load and unload barges, where a fellow worker who recognised his hard work and good character told him of a good dry storm drain where he could store his few belongings and sleep securely. Gabor described this experience as if he were the luckiest of men, waking in the morning to look out over the Seine and see the sunrise over Nôtre Dame. His gratitude and delight really summed up Gabor’s wonderful attitude throughout his life. Eventually one of the trio of friends found steady work and a room where his companions could find some home comforts during the daytime. At night he often kept warm by mounting the stairs up to ‘The Gods’ of the Opéra de Paris to enjoy the performances. His love of music endured, its sound always filling his home at Porte d’Orée. Gabor found permanent work as a typewriter repair man and took lodgings in a boarding house. He applied to a lottery open to Hungarian refugees to get a green card to the USA, but in the meantime, staircase encounters with another resident at his lodgings had caught his attention: Georgina. The Green Card did in fact arrive, in an impressive envelope with an American eagle stamp, but by then his heart was committed to Georgina and to Paris.
With a penchant for rummaging in antique and bric à brac shops, it wasn’t long before Gabor stumbled across his first netsuke. Once bitten, forever smitten, his interest grew and grew. The excitement of finding a netsuke is addictive and every Saturday morning would find Gabor at the Marché Paul Bert at Paris’s Marché aux Puces. He was so well known there that everything Japanese would be saved for him. Through his dedication and passion and despite a modest budget, he amassed a real ‘collector’s collection’ with many pieces that were the envy top collectors.
Gabor and Georgina’s warm and welcoming home, the walls lined with all types of art, every nook and cranny filled with treasures, also accommodated a vast number of books, all of which he studied closely. He wrote numerous auction reports for the INS Journal and was a frequent contributor to the Bulletin of the Association Franco-japonaise, where he served on the editorial board.
He also gave talks and workshops, sharing his knowledge with unbounded enthusiasm and generosity. He formed a close friendship with his compatriot, Robert Fleischel, assisting in writing catalogues for Sagemonoya. Netsuke filled his life and his contribution to the netsuke world can scarcely be matched.
His netsuke passion was tolerated with gentle indulgence by Georgina and his dedication to her was absolute. Her death in 2020 left him bereft and life was never quite the same for him after that. He was very well cared for over his last years by his nephew. His presence will be missed by all of those who knew him. Porte d’Orée will miss the familiar sight of him going about his errands gently humming to himself and wearing his signature flat cap.
Farewell dear friend, we miss you.
Moving into their first home.
In Spain for Robert Fleischel’s birthday, 2017.
Rosemary Bandini and Gabor