Claude Taittinger (2 October 1927 – 3 January 2022) was a French businessman. He was longtime director of Taittinger Champagne and was the son of

Pierre Taittinger Pierre-Charles Taittinger (4 October 1887 – 22 January 1965) was the founder of the Taittinger champagne house and chairman of the municipal council of Paris in 1943–1944 during the German occupation of France, in which position he p ...

Life and career

Following his studies at the Faculty of Law of

Sciences Po Sciences Po () or Sciences Po Paris, also known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies (), is a public research university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of ''grande école'' and the legal status of . The university's unde ...

, Taittinger entered the family wine business in 1949. He spent the remainder of his career there, with the exception of military served in

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...

and

French Algeria French Algeria ( until 1839, then afterwards; unofficially ; ), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of History of Algeria, Algerian history when the country was a colony and later an integral part of France. French rule lasted until ...

. In 1958, he married Catherine de Suarez d'Aulan, daughter of

Jean de Suarez d'Aulan Jean de Suarez d'Aulan (20 November 1900 – 8 October 1944) was a French aristocrat, aviator, auto racer, bobsledder, businessman and soldier. Background Jean de Suarez d'Aulan was the son of Marquis François de Suarez d'Aulan (1864–1910) an ...

, with whom he had three daughters: Brigitte, Virginie, and Christine. Taittinger became managing director of the family business after the accidental death of his brother, François, in 1960. He was also Chairman of the

Société du Louvre Groupe du Louvre or Louvre Hotel Grouplouvrehotels.com
retrieved 21 April 2024 is a French company op ...

and served on the advisory board of the

Bank of France The Bank of France ( ) is the national central bank for France within the Eurosystem. It was the French central bank between 1800 and 1998, issuing the French franc. It does not translate its name to English, and thus calls itself ''Banque de F ...

. To honor his father, who died in 1965, he founded the Prix culinaire international Pierre-Taittinger in 1967. In 1983, he created the Taittinger Collection, a collection of artwork used on champagne bottles. Artists who contributed to the collection included

Victor Vasarely Victor Vasarely (; born Győző Vásárhelyi, ; 9 April 1906 – 15 March 1997) was a Hungarian-French artist, who is widely accepted as a "grandfather" and leader of the Op art movement. His work titled ''Zebra'', created in 1937, i ...

Arman Arman (November 17, 1928 – October 22, 2005) was a French and American artist. Born Armand Fernandez in Nice, France, Arman was a painter who moved from using objects for the ink or paint traces they leave (''cachets'', ''allures d'objet'') t ...

André Masson André-Aimé-René Masson (; 4 January 1896 – 28 October 1987) was a French artist. Biography Masson was born in Balagny-sur-Thérain, Oise, but when he was eight his father's work took the family first briefly to Lille and then to Brus ...

Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Maria Helena Vieira da Silva (13 June 1908 – 6 March 1992) was a Portuguese abstract painter. She was considered a leading member of the European abstract expressionism movement known as Art Informel. Her works feature complex interiors and c ...

Roy Lichtenstein Roy Fox Lichtenstein ( ; October27, 1923September29, 1997) was an American pop artist. He rose to prominence in the 1960s through pieces which were inspired by popular advertising and the comic book style. Much of his work explores the relations ...

Hans Hartung Hans Hartung (21 September 1904 – 7 December 1989) was a German-French painter, known for his gestural abstract style. He was also a decorated World War II veteran of the Legion d'honneur. Life Hartung was born in Leipzig, Germany, into an ...

, ,

Corneille Pierre Corneille (; ; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great 17th-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. As a young man, he earned the valuable patronage o ...

Roberto Matta Roberto Sebastián Antonio Matta Echaurren (; November 11, 1911 – November 23, 2002), usually known simply as Matta, also as Sebastián Matta or Roberto Matta, was one of Chile's best-known Painting, painters and a seminal figure in 20th ...

, and

Zao Wou-Ki Zao Wou-Ki (; 1 February 1920 – 9 April 2013) was a Chinese-French Painting, painter. He was a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Zao Wou-Ki graduated from the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, where he studied under French-tra ...

. In 1987, Taittinger created the Domaine Carneros, in association with the Kobrand Corporation, to distribute Taittinger wine in the United States. He retired in 2006 following the company's purchase by

Crédit Agricole Crédit Agricole Group (), sometimes called La banque verte (, , due to its historical ties to farming), is a French international banking group and the world's largest cooperative financial institution. It is the second largest bank in France, ...

. In 2008, his daughter, Virginie, left the family business and founded with her son, Ferdinand Pougatch. Taittinger was an Officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

and was decorated with the Ordre du Mérite militaire. Taittinger died in Paris on 3 January 2022, at the age of 94.

Publications

*''Thibaud le Chansonnier, comte de Champagne'' (1987) *''Monsieur Cazotte monte à l'échafaud'' (1988) *''Saint Evremond ou le bon usage des plaisirs'' (1990) *''Champagne par Taittinger'' (1996)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taittinger, Claude 1927 births 2022 deaths 20th-century French businesspeople 21st-century French businesspeople Wine merchants Sciences Po alumni Businesspeople from Paris Officers of the Legion of Honour