function setCookie(cname, cvalue, expMinutes, prefix) { What were we going to do with the art if we didnt [rebuild it]? } script.src = "https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.1.1.min.js"; You may wish to switch to the. St. Helena, CA 94574 74 is the new 54 and Wilseys bubbly blonde beauty has not faded. 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. 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 . var o = {}; } else { + '
' Al and I were very proud of him. }, 100); I couldnt care less. The controversy over Wilsey's non-resignation is the through line of the Times profile, but there are a number of other gems from Holson's lunch visit with Wilsey at her Napa Valley estate, as . $('#ouibounce-modal') function getCookie(cname, prefix) { It is fuchsia with a purple bow. It was part of a Christmas gift to my now husband, Kurt. William Van Meter in Partnership With Royal Salute Scotch Whisky. She divorced Traina in 1980 and married Al Wilsey, divorced by then from Montandon, in May 1981. My sisters and I each found our creative passions early in life. The strength of the book is that Sean Wilsey is a terrific writer. Helsinki, Finland - July 19, 2017 Co-operation begins with interfaces for NAPA Steel and NDES Beagle, linking early-stage design with production planning NAPA, a leading global maritime software, services and data analysis provider, and NTT Data Engineering Systems (NDES), Japanese experts in maritime software development and engineering, today announced collaboration on ship design and . Another aspect of her charm? if (getCookie(cookieNames[i]).length) { It doesnt work. The first dog picture was commissioned for my Jack Russell, Melissa, and my first Maltese, Serena. Put it in the basement of the Legion? Giovanni Antonio Canal, Il Canaletto, Entrance to the Grand Canal looking East, with Santa Maria della Salute at right. setNewsletterCookie('closedSignupBar', 1); Dede Wilsey. Romance novelist. if (generalSettings.loadFontAwesome) { There was a very nice dealer who we knew in London. Her first husband was steamship executive John Traina, whom she met in her hometown of Washington, D.C. Microsoft has removed the Birds Eye imagery for this map. 3 of 17 4 of 17 Boaz Mazor and Dede Wilsey pose with models during the Opera Ball, celebrating the opening night of the San Francisco Opera Sept. 9, 2016 in San Francisco, Calif. Leah Millis/The . } map, 707-963-5278 t SignupForm.init($modal.find('form'), function onSuccess() { Website design by Compass Marketing, website development by StoryWorkz. Since then, Dede has built a formidable collection of Impressionist art, and has continued to help the de Young and its sister museum the Legion of Honor grow their own. Times have changed since Buchanan was the ambassador and this is apparent in the security team that accompanies Traina and his family everywhere in Austria. The house we built together in San Francisco is very contemporary, with my photography collection and objects weve inherited and purchasedits a more sophisticated mix, in a sense, Trevor says. Shes sitting in an armchair in her Napa Valley homethe place where she is most happyher 10-year old Maltese at her feet. + '
' It saved you,' " Wilsey writes. I cant even remember what I bought after that. Hair and makeup by Sherrie Long (Molly Chappellet and Thomas Keller) and Bianca Rubi (all others). . Reading between the lines, a reader could glean that rich people have problems, just like everyone else, but have the money to solve their troubles differently -- sending problem children out of their lives, in hopes that someone else can fix them. Diane "Dede" Wilsey, Philanthropist. When he did return home periodically in the 1980s, his mother threw him out of the house; his father's patience wears thin. Magic that celebrates ones surroundings. A fabulous Caillebotte in London. $('body').append(signup); Sean Wilsey's charming manner, the quality of his writing and his connection to McSweeney's will lend an already compelling story some extra cachet, booksellers said, as will the bird's-eye view into the lifestyles of the rich, if not famous. e.preventDefault(); + '<\/div>' ); Dede Wilsey, who grew up going to her family's newport home, beaulieu, photographed with her son todd 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. Instagram. // Show email validation error and hide other errors So Im finally pulling myself together. // Signup validation script.integrity = "sha256-hVVnYaiADRTO2PzUGmuLJr8BLUSjGIZsDYGmIJLv2b8="; My fantasy was to be a gentleman farmer with three grapevines and art. A naturally gracious hostess, Wilsey has an uncanny ability to make anyone feel comfortable. You know, Im looking at a painting in my office, which is also my dressing room. Matthew Kelly She was a part of the search committee that found the new director of the, Another thing she loves about the museums? By continuing to use our sites and applications, you agree to our use of cookies. He recounts how he repeatedly promised his parents he would behave and stay out of trouble -- and repeatedly broke those promises. We have a number of family portraits, of my grandparents and my mother, and pieces of furniture I grew up with in various houses, he says. Pin. ctx.customSerializer(); "My parents always had friends around and there was a lot of entertaining, and summer was . We have such diversity in our exhibitions, and its a learning experience every time we open an exhibition. She married John Traina after his divorce from Dede. Festival Napa Valley is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Dede Wilsey. Presumably, when the press tour begins, Wilsey, who is married, has a son and lives in New York, will explain the motivation for the book, whose release roughly coincides with the final stages of completion of the new de Young. 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. var i = cookieNames.length, var $modal = $('#ouibounce-modal'); She hosted roundtable luncheons with the likes of Eldridge Cleaver, Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem. $modal.css({ while (c.charAt(0)==' ') { The residency featured concerts, family programs, and events that generated support for local youth charities. Dede Wilsey's House (Google Maps). The festival attracts over 10,000 guests each season. the San Francisco Fine Art Museums nabbed it. var paywallPagesRegex = /^\/subscribe|subscribe-confirm|my-account(\/|$)/; For the Fine Arts Museums, I recently bought a Canaletto at the Getty auction. 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. } Sean Wilsey wrote that novelist Danielle Steel had an affair with Al Wilsey, but when she lost out to Dede, married Traina "as a consolation prize" in June 1981. 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. 649 Main Street . Stepfather to Todd and Trevor Traina. It was at Amity, a now-defunct reform school in Tuscany, that Wilsey was transformed. + '<\/div>' It was great because hes now the ambassador and my father was ambassador to Austria, also. )+([a-zA-Z0-9]{2,4})+$/ var expires = "expires="+d.toUTCString(); sensitivity: 50, What a gift to our community! + '
<\/i>' //and we can just return here. She remains a prominent figure in the artistic and cultural spheres of San Francisco, spearheading the rebuilding of the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, as well as the establishment of numerous trusts for organizations such as the San Francisco Ballet. } $email.focus(); In August 2016, Trump came to the Bay Area for fundraisers at private homes in Napa and on the Peninsula. The new Mission Bay hospital complex will include: a 183-bed UCSF Children's Hospital to replace inpatient . if (window.jQuery) { Sean Wilsey was Al Wilsey's third son, from his third marriage. expiration_days: 14 /** st.helena, ca 94574 support us. Julie Baumgardner, Years later another dealer called about the same picture and the price was $22 million. $modal.show(); Although her role as a member of the board has her at the museum several days of the week, she looks at the de Young with childlike wonder. var initOuibounce = setInterval(function() { But I can understand what theyre talking about when you have human feces and syringes and all these things. "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. From 1979 to 1982, she was the society columnist for the San Francisco Examiner. nimbus arts, a community-based nonprofit, ignites artistic expression across the napa valley. It also has Wilsey's painful quest for love, understanding and acceptance from his mother, former San Francisco Examiner society columnist Pat Montandon; his late father, philanthropist and food magnate Al Wilsey; and in particular, his stepmother, Diane "Dede" Wilsey, one of the city's most powerful and admired arts patrons, who led the 10-year- effort to build the $202 million new de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. // Handler for close signup button //default prefix is 'artnet_newsletter_' This is a family home; its very comfortable and familiar., The decor is an assemblage of styles, though most are heirlooms and antiques set in place by Trevors mother. Cory Empting got his first job at a vineyard at 15 and immediately became obsessed. I now have an entire bathroom, dressing room, bedroom at my house in Napa covered in these paintingsjust wall to wall. .css-4975pa{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#fff;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;display:inline-block;background-color:#030929;font-family:Termina,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:0.75rem;line-height:1;font-weight:bold;letter-spacing:0.02rem;padding:0.6rem 0.7rem;text-transform:uppercase;width:auto;}.css-4975pa:hover{color:#fff;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;background-color:#9a0500;}.css-4975pa:focus-visible{outline-color:body-cta-btn-link-focus;}Subscribe Now, .css-1du65oy{color:#323232;display:block;font-family:NewParis,Georgia,Times,serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0.3125rem;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;-webkit-font-smoothing:auto;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-1du65oy:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-1du65oy{font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-1du65oy{font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1du65oy{font-size:1.3125rem;line-height:1.2;}} The Parisian Hotel Where Joyce Finished Ulysses. Jo Lawson-Tancred, Dede Wilsey said she has no intention of reading the memoir. "The people who are in McSweeney's are rising stars. function loadJQuery() { Its the most beautiful picture of a girl in a fabulous negligee, lying on a sofa reading a book. function addCss(fileName) { $form.find('.invalid-email').show().siblings().hide(); pagetypeurl = document.URL, Resolved: Release in which this issue/RFE has been resolved. There was a sham wedding to trial lawyer Melvin Belli (who'd represented Jack Ruby) in a Shinto ceremony in Japan that was annulled after 36 days; Montandon wanted the marriage to be official, but Belli refused to have it legally recorded. Old, young, every ethnic group. He now works as an editor at large for McSweeney's, co-founded by Dave Eggers. 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. + ' @media (max-width: 1199px){ #ouibounce-modal .description {font-size:13px !important;} }' if(valid){ Often well put the kids to bed and then take a walk, he says. It is a nurturing environment where I feel comfortable at work with my new creations and benefit being surrounded by such talented people and their positive energy. Once it is yours, you can do whatever you want with it. And that is a marvelous position to be in. This is a carousel. Her sons position is a full circle moment for Wilsey: from 1975 to 1977 her father, Wiley T. Buchanan Jr., served the same role under President Gerald Ford. Or that life in high society is about power and status, so everybody is always trying to position himself as a success -- or at least, avoid offending the powerful, for fear of being shut out of the scene. I wish him well.". + '<\/div>' closeSignupBar(); } else { var valid = ctx.validate( $form, $email); //console.log(prefix + cname + "=" + cvalue + ";" + expires + ";path=/"); d.setTime(d.getTime() + (expMinutes*60*1000)); Vittoria Benzine, $.each(a, function () { They embrace everybody. Mother of Sean Wilsey. Then you suddenly say to yourself, Why in the world did I do that?! Many a woman shudders at the terrible eclipse of those intellectual powers which in early life seemed prophetic of usefulness and happiness, hence the army of martyrs among our married and unmarried women who, not having cultivated a taste for science, art or literature, form a corps of nervous patients who make fortunes for agreeable physicians Sarah M. Grimke (17921873). ), For Alexisthe daughter of Elizabeth and W. Clarke Swanson Jr., a renowned vintner, whose grandfather started the national food-production company that bears the family namewhats outside of the house is equally important. } else { submit: function($form, onSuccess) { recentlyShown: { What work do you wish you had bought when you had the chance? return; Her father was against the marriage. isnewsletter = pagetypeurl.includes("?page_1"); while (i--) { When I was growing up here, we had this thing we called scary walks, and after dinner wed go out with our flashlights and walk through the vineyards. googletag.pubads().setTargeting("width", w), googletag.pubads().setTargeting("height", h), 1 == isnewsletter && googletag.pubads().setTargeting("isfirstpage", ['Y', pagetypeforce] ) You learn all about what that art is and that artist. To characterize Sean Wilsey's memoir Oh The Glory Of It All as just a scathing portrait of a wealth-obsessed home-wrecking stepmother would be selling the author short. }); To Wilsey, this is all in a days work and not something she brags about. Since 2019, Wilsey has also underwritten the museums Free Saturday program, providing free general admission to the de Young and Legion of Honor for Bay Area residents every weekend. At least $95 million | 78 years old | United States Primary Position: CEO, Wilsey Properties . I mean from my point of view., Haute Living 2023 - All content and source 2019 Haute Living |, I have been told by friends that people think that Im intimidating and I thought it was the funniest thing Ive ever heard,, Another aspect of her charm? . And living in a house like this, you realize that a great big kitchen and a great big porch are really where you want to be., For his part, Trevor adds that even the houses indoor living can feel somewhat alfresco: I joke that were camping here, because we have 18th-century wallpaper. Though they both grew up in high-style households, Trevor says, were very casual and we arent at all fancy here., Trevor and Alexis are undoubtedly the chicest couple I know, says design impresario Ken Fulk, a close friend. Right now we have Muslim fashions, we just closed Truth and Beauty, which was Pre-Raphaelite Art. Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. } map, photo credits | site by tmarks | dev by sa8. The author's feelings toward his stepmother careen wildly from veneration to venom: He adored her until he was sent off to boarding school and then several reform schools. William Van Meter in Partnership With Royal Salute Scotch Whisky, setCookie(cookieName, value, expirationMinutes); initNewsletterSignup(); .addClass( 'slideIn' + upOrDown ); . "He's simply trying to cast an honest eye on himself and his family. 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 . 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. //show automatically after delay } Really. "To quote my dad, 'That school was a salvation for you. Al Wilsey, meanwhile, married Dede, who coolly co-opted Pat's position in San Francisco society, took over Pat's Napa Valley weekend dream house, and turned suddenly against Sean, hardening . So when a chance to team up with Town & Country presented itself later on, we leaped at the opportunity and set out to capture the Napa Valley we love. The drive from San Francisco to the Napa Valley takes only a little more than an hour, but for tech entrepreneur and IfOnly CEO Trevor Traina and his wife, Swanson Vineyards creative director Alexis Swanson Traina, the two places feel as far away from each other as possible. Contributing to the causes she believes in is her job and one that she takes very seriously. I look at this picture all the time. Dede Wilsey, born Diane Dow Buchanan, was the great-granddaughter of the founder of Dow Chemical Co. } Shortly after our conversation, FAMSF announced that the former director, Max Hollein, would be replaced by Thomas P. Campbell, who was the director of New Yorks Metropolitan Museum of Art from 2009 to 2017. 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. regex: { Montandon was awarded $20,000 a month, which she said was too little to maintain the lifestyle to which she'd become accustomed. + '' Board of Supervisors and return motorists to the JFK Promenade through Golden Gate Park. " Maupin read the book and has supplied a cover blurb for it. 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. Welcome to this world famous wine growing region "Napa Valley", Carson Levit and Suzanne Devitt Levit's Vineyard. "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. }, } Another thing she loves about the museums? 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. But two people can be in the same place at the same time and come away with two different perceptions of reality. Ive had two husbands die and then that person. Image courtesy Christies. var head = document.head }); Dec 5, 2022. December 5, 2022. He says, In 1975, I bought an old cabin, put a cupola on the top, and called it Tucker Farm Schoolhouse to make it sound legit-ish. "It's not a gossipy tell-all, it's a coming-of-age story about a child surviving a life of conspicuous consumption," Maupin said in a telephone interview from New York, where a film based on his latest novel, "The Night Listener," is being filmed with Robin Williams and Toni Collette. Hes an Australian. } She was a part of the search committee that found the new director of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), the umbrella that oversees both the de Young and the Legion of Honor. Crabb, a Napa Valley pioneer who founded the To Kalon winery. Its a really amazing thing to do, to stroll on a warm night with a glass of wine.In a place like this, it certainly is. Kandinsky is not something I would normally buy, either. setTimeout(function() { Wilseys pride, admiration, and love for her family are evident and strong. var generalSettings = { Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. By WWD Staff. found = false; The 475-page memoir, to be published by Penguin Press, has it all, from sex, drugs and marital infidelity to famous names, lavish parties and conspicuous consumption. addCss('https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/font-awesome/4.7.0/css/font-awesome.min.css'); 649 main street Please join me in supporting Nimbus., Nimbus Arts As an adult, he began to stand up to what he describes as her verbal put-downs. Festival Napa Valley was founded in 2006. A writer and filmmaker (Golden Globe for, By Alexis Traina. To learn more about who we are and how you can play a part, contact us using the form below! Or that rich people have cliques, just like everyone else, but because so few people are so very rich, the pool of friends and prospective spouses is small, making for lots of interconnected relationships. Want to stay ahead of the art world? + '
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Get hand-picked stories from our editors delivered straight to your inbox every day.<\/p>' if (!onSuccess) { She was born Diane Dow Buchanan in 1944, to Mr. and Mrs. Wiley T. Buchanan, Jr. Dede Wilsey is a San Francisco socialite, Republican donor and philanthropist, and the widow of San Francisco businessman Al Wilsey. Since then, I have been buying 19th-century or early 20th-century Maltese or terriers. It was just magical. And she relishes the process that comes with each new exhibit. As Herb Caen used to say, 'There's nothing older than yesterday's news.' Since then, Dede has built a formidable collection of Impressionist art . signedUp: { Wilsey and I are 30 minutes into an hour-long conversation, and I couldnt agree with her more. + '