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Dési von Halban

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Dési von Halban
Dési von Halban in 1946
Born
Désirée Louise Anna Ernestine von Halban

(1912-04-10)10 April 1912
Died12 February 1996(1996-02-12) (aged 83)
NationalityAustrian
Occupation(s)Opera and concert singer
Spouses
(m. 1937; died 1940)
August von Saher
(m. 1950)
ChildrenEdouard von Saher (b. 1939)
Parent(s)Josef von Halban and Selma Kurz

Désirée Louise Anna Ernestine "Dési" von Halban (10 April 1912 – 12 February 1996) was an Austrian opera and concert singer. She was the daughter of Austrian parents: operatic soprano Selma Kurz and gynecologist Josef von Halban.

Life

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Dési von Halban was married to Dutch art dealer Jacques Goudstikker who fled the Nazis in 1940, but died on board the SS Bodegraven [nl] while passing the English Channel. His wife and infant son, Edouard, made their way to New York City, via Montreal.[1] His art collection was looted by the Nazis, and a group of 202 paintings was restituted in 2006, a decade after her death, only after a lengthy legal dispute.[2]

Halban remarried in 1950, to twice-divorced Dutch lawyer August von Saher.[3] Her son adopted his stepfather's surname.[4] He married Marei Langenbein, a West German figure skater. Their daughter, Charlene von Saher, became a competitive figure skater.[5]

Physicist Hans von Halban was Dési's second cousin.

References

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  1. ^ "Seized, Reclaimed and Now on View". The New York Times. April 27, 2008.
  2. ^ "Dutch to Return Art Seized by Nazis". The New York Times. February 7, 2006.
  3. ^ Alexander, Ilonka Venier (2015). The Life and Times of Franz Alexander: From Budapest To California. Karnac. pp. 56–59. ISBN 978-1-78181-509-0.
  4. ^ "Heirs Claim Art Lost To Nazis in Amsterdam; Another Collection Joins the Disputes Over Who Owns War's Cultural Booty". The New York Times. January 12, 1998.
  5. ^ "A British Figure Skater With Roots in Greenwich". The New York Times. January 23, 1994.