Robert Anthoine, renowned tax and arts law expert and enthusiastic supporter of the arts, died on January 23, 2015 after a brief illness. His beloved wife, Margarita Maria Anthoine, and daughter, Alison Anthoine, were by his side.
Born in Portland, Maine on June 5, 1921, he was the only child of Edward and Sara (Pinkham) Anthoine. After graduating from Duke University in 1942, he served for four years as a Lieutenant in the US Navy. He graduated from Columbia Law School in 1949 and returned there to teach in 1952. In 1963, he joined Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts as the head of its tax department. He continued to teach as an adjunct at Columbia for another three decades, and as a visiting professor at law schools around the world through his seventies.
His interest in literature and the visual and theatre arts was unbounded. He became close friends with many of the artists whose work he collected, and was instrumental in creating and sustaining many arts-related foundations. He served as the Chairman of the Aperture Foundation for more than 20 years. His support of the Royal Shakespeare Company by, among other things, creating the American Friends of the RSC, led to his appointment as an Honorary Governor for Life of the RSC. He was proud to be the founding Chairman of the Lucid Art Foundation, together with painter Gordon Onslow Ford and Fariba Bogzaran, to support artists who explore the concept of arts and consciousness.
He is also survived by three other children–Robert Neal, Nelson and Nina Anthoine; six grandchildren; a stepdaughter, Mary Danielle Hamilton-Russo; and two step-grandchildren. Interment will be private. A memorial celebrating his life will be held in March in NYC on a date to be announced. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to Aperture, 547 W. 27th St., NYC 10001.
Published in The New York Times on January 30, 2015
