Jean, Marquis de Montebello killed in car crash
 

I was very shocked and saddened to receive a letter from France yesterday telling me of this news. He was killed instantly in the crash. Jean was working on a career in the US, had established an apartment in New York, and had representation in the US.

Count Phillipe de Montebello is the director of the Met and I believe their relationship is uncle/nephew. I'm working on verifying this. He was just 32 years old.

His web pages are still up: http://www.portraitartist.com/demontebello

Sad news indeed. Ever since I first discovered the Stroke of Genius site Jean de Montebello's works of art have been an inspiration to me. His style and perspective were something special.

This is so heartbreaking. Thirty -two is simply way too young.

Another shoking news after Chen. Jean is the same as John.... His age is close to a critical one--- a Chinese saying goes that: when one is thirty three, is chopped by a knife wildly. I was chopped but survived.
Jackson Pollock died in the same way.

I spoke with Philipe de Montebello, Director of the Met and apparently they are distant cousins and only met one time.