Jocelyn Wildenstein

Jocelyn Wildenstein [1][2]
Born Jocelyn Périsset[3]
(1940-08-05) August 5, 1940[2]
Lausanne, Switzerland
Residence Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation Socialite
Known for Extensive facial surgeries
Spouse(s)
Alec N. Wildenstein
(m. 1978; div. 1999)
[4][5]
Children 2

Jocelyn Perisset Wildenstein (née Périsset; August 5, 1940) is a Swiss-born American socialite[6] known for her extensive cosmetic surgery (with nicknames such as "Catwoman", "The Lion Queen", and "The Bride Of Wildenstein" from news outlets), her divorce from late billionaire businessman Alec Wildenstein in 1999,[4][7] and for her extravagant lifestyle—she once calculated her yearly telephone bill at $60,000 and food and wine costs at $547,000.[8]

Early life

Jocelyne Périsset was born in Lausanne, Switzerland; her father worked in a sporting goods store.[3] She began dating Cyril Piguet, a Swiss movie producer, at the age of 17.[9] She later lived in Paris with Italian French filmmaker Sergio Gobbi.[10] There she became a skilled hunter and pilot.[6] She was introduced to Alec Wildenstein by Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi at a shooting weekend at the Wildenstein African ranch "Ol Jogi".[5]

Marriage and divorce

Jocelyn Wildenstein married Alec N. Wildenstein when they were both in their 30s.[9] He was a member of the Wildenstein family—a wealthy family of renowned art dealers.[8] The divorce was not amicable.[11] Jocelyn walked in on her husband and a 19-year-old Russian model in her bedroom at the Wildenstein New York home, and he threatened her with a gun.[12][13] This resulted in a night in jail for Alec Wildenstein.[13] The presiding judge, Marilyn Diamond, received death threats in the mail during the proceedings.[14] The marital home in New York was later sold by Jocelyn to real estate developer Janna Bullock for $13 million and required substantial renovation.[15] During her divorce, the judge stipulated that she could not use any alimony payments for further cosmetic surgery.[16] She received $2.5 billion in the divorce settlement and $100 million each year for 13 years after.[17] During the divorce proceedings, Jocelyn enlisted the services of Ed Rollins[10][18] for public relations assistance and (at various times) both Bernard Clair[10][19] and Kenneth Godt[20] for legal counsel. Together, the Wildensteins had two children.[21]

Surgeries over the years

Wildenstein has had extensive cosmetic surgeries to her face[22] creating a "very unnatural appearance."[23] The surgeries intended to elicit a more catlike look, according to her ex-husband.[24][25] Wildenstein is rumored to have spent $4 million on plastic surgery,[26] apparently done to please her ex-husband, who loved big cats.[27][28] Despite her unusual appearance, Wildenstein is reported to be "ecstatic with her work. She feels beautiful. She looks in the mirror and she loves what she sees. She got exactly what she wanted."[29][30]

References

Notes

  1. "The Crazy Life of Billionaire Socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein".
  2. 1 2 https://www.intelius.com/people-search/Jocelyn-Wildenstein/NY
  3. 1 2 Konigsberg 1997, p. 34.
  4. 1 2 Dunford 2009, p. 181.
  5. 1 2 Faith, Nicholas (February 22, 2008). "Alec Wildenstein: Art dealer and racehorse owner who divorced in a blaze of publicity". The Independent. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  6. 1 2 McCracken 2008, p. 25.
  7. DeMello 2007, pp. 13, 36.
  8. 1 2 Felder & Victor 2011.
  9. 1 2 Konigsberg 1997, p. 35.
  10. 1 2 3 Carlin, Peter Ames (January 26, 1998). "Surgical Strike". People Magazine. 49 (3). ISSN 0093-7673. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  11. Crowley 2005, pp. 164–165.
  12. "People & Places: Art dealer admits he pulled gun on wife". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. September 9, 2000. p. A2. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  13. 1 2 Konigsberg 1997, p. 32.
  14. Felder 2004, pp. 122–126.
  15. Greene, Penelope (July 26, 2007). "Buy High, Sell Higher". The New York Times. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  16. Portmann 2004, p. 66.
  17. Petridou, Ria (September 29, 2011). "Queens of plastic: Jocelyn Wildenstein". Fashion Love. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  18. Grove, Lloyd (June 9, 2000). "The Reliable Source". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  19. Gupte, Pranay (May 17, 2005). "It's Personal for a Top NYC Divorce Lawyer". The Sun. New York. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  20. "Jocelyn gives bankrupt beau the brush-off". New York Post. November 10, 1999. p. 30. Retrieved February 4, 2012. (subscription required) for full content.
  21. Heigl, Alex (9 Dec 2016). "The Famous Life and Face of Jocelyn Wildenstein". People. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  22. Jones 2008, p. 123.
  23. Marr, Ruby (November 25, 2010). "Jocelyn Wildenstein Fixes her Face with Plastic Surgery". Make Me Heal. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  24. Jones 2007, p. 105.
  25. Konigsberg 1997, p. 34. "... achieved through surgery an image even more farouche (Alec says she wanted to look 'like a cat')."
  26. "Is this the scariest picture EVER of the Bride of Wildenstein?". 20 February 2008. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  27. McCracken 2008, pp. 25, 316 (footnotes 59–62).
  28. Cottom 2006, pp. 143–144. "... the New York socialite who had her face remolded to resemble a jungle cat's, ..."
  29. Renshaw, H. (2002), 'Celebrity Plastic Surgery Disasters,' New Weekly, Australian Consolidated Press, Australia, 21 January, p 16-19
  30. "Bloated Bride of Wildenstein looks frightening as ever".

Bibliography – books

  • Cottom, Daniel (2006), Unhuman culture (illustrated ed.), University of Pennsylvania Press, ISBN 978-0-8122-3956-0
  • Crowley, Kieran (2005). Almost Paradise: The Murder of Multimillionaire Ted Ammon in the Hamptons. New York: St. Martin's. ISBN 978-0-312-99913-1.
  • DeMello, Margo (2007). Encyclopedia of body adornment. Westport, CT: Greenwood. ISBN 978-0-313-33695-9.
  • Dunford, Martin (2009). The Rough Guide to New York City (11 ed.). London: Rough Guides. ISBN 978-0-8070-1618-3.
  • Felder, Raoul (2004). "The Wildenstein Divorce". Bare Knuckle Negotiation. Hoboken: Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-471-46333-7.
  • Felder, Raoul; Victor, Barbara (2011). "The Wildenstein Case". The Good Divorce: How to Walk Away Financially Sound and Emotionally Happy. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-59296-7.
  • Jones, Jessica Dorfman (2007). The Art of Cheating. New York: Pocket. ISBN 978-1-4165-4913-0.
  • Jones, Meredith (2008). Skintight: an Anatomy of Cosmetic Surgery. Oxford: Berg Publishers. ISBN 978-1-84520-669-7.
  • McCracken, Grant David (2008). Transformations: Identity Construction in Contemporary Culture. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-21957-2.
  • Portmann, John (2004). Bad for Us: the lure of self-harm. Boston: Beacon Press. ISBN 978-0-8070-1618-3.
  • Tebbel, Cyndi (2000), The body snatchers: how the media shapes women (illustrated ed.), Sydney: Finch, ISBN 978-1-876451-07-3

BIbliography – web pages

  • Konigsberg, Eric (December 15, 1997). "What Money Can't Buy". New York Magazine. 30 (48): 31–37, 109, 116. ISSN 0028-7369. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
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