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Nelson was someone who lit up a room because he was so happy to be there and made everyone happier because of his warm presence. I can recall the Red Ball in Paris which was one of the most beautiful parties I remember and everything was red even down to the detail of having fresh cherries and leaves in the curtain borders. I miss him very much.
Nan Kempner
Nelson Grimaldi Seabra
Even aged 80, Nelson Grimaldi Seabra was young at heart, and still devoted tremendous energy to the twin loves of his life: his art collection and his extraordinary array of friends from all over the world. Son of an elegant Italian mother, Assunta Grimaldi, and a Portuguese father, Gervasio Seabra, (who was one of the most successful businessmen in Brazil of his time) Nelson was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro.
At the age of 15 he moved to New York to further his education, and then to Los Angeles, where he pursued a producing career and mixed with the jetset of Hollywood. His close friends included Grace Kelly (who would delight in calling him her 'cousin'), Greta Garbo, Kirk and Michael Douglas and Jack Nicholson. He was equally at home with royalty, spending weekends in Denmark with the royal family or New Year's Eve in Marrakech with the king. In 1980 he threw a legendary party in Paris for his birthday, 'The Red Ball'. The guest list was a veritable Who's Who, ranging from members of the Onassis, Patiño and Rothschild families to royal princes and princesses and a galaxy of stars from the worlds of music and the arts, including Andy Warhol, Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger. He was also passionate about horse racing, breeding a string of successful race horses with his brother Roberto, and enjoying a keen but friendly rivalry with Prince Ali Khan. His other close friends included C.Z. Guest, Taki and Alexandra Theodoracopulos, Jimmy Douglas, the Marquess of Cholmondeley and his cousin Charles Cholmondeley, and Thomas Ammann, the noted modern picture dealer.
Although a Carioca at heart, Nelson was truly a citizen of the world, dividing his time between an apartment on the rue Bassano in Paris, the Plaza Hotel in New York, and of course his extraordinary apartment on the Praia da Flamengo in Rio, the penthouse of a remarkable Renaissance revival building built by his family, with spectacular views of Sugar Loaf Mountain.
A tour of Nelson's apartment was a fascinating experience, full of surprises, with each room having its own particular character, ranging from the English Room with its lush combination of Kentian furniture and Italian sculpture, to the Chinese Room with its sparkling lacquer and ivory surfaces and a room entirely filled with silver animals. Nelson would delight in showing the treasures of his apartment to his friends, and at sunset, with a twinkle in his eye, would light the veranda and the pictures and with a smile would wait for his guests' delighted impressions.
P.G.
A PAIR OF ITALIAN SILVERED AND RED-PAINTED WALL-LIGHTS
18TH CENTURY
Details
A PAIR OF ITALIAN SILVERED AND RED-PAINTED WALL-LIGHTS
18th century
Each with cartouche-shaped back issuing to both sides eagle-heads, surmounted by youths and centered by a flaming urn, the boss with trailing foliage issuing two silver-plated scrolling branches with gadrooned nozzles, one with various indistinctly inscribed labels, one of which inscribed 'BLI RESTOR 902' and another 'RBC 204 3', losses, decoration refreshed
28 in. (71 cm.) high (2)
18th century
Each with cartouche-shaped back issuing to both sides eagle-heads, surmounted by youths and centered by a flaming urn, the boss with trailing foliage issuing two silver-plated scrolling branches with gadrooned nozzles, one with various indistinctly inscribed labels, one of which inscribed 'BLI RESTOR 902' and another 'RBC 204 3', losses, decoration refreshed
28 in. (71 cm.) high (2)