Belle Shenkman | |
Birth Name: | Belle Gubler |
Birth Date: | June 24, 1928 |
Birth Place: | Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR |
Death Date: | March 11, 1995 |
Death Place: | London, England |
Occupation: | Arts patron and fundraiser |
Spouse: | Harold Shenkman Desmond Smith |
Children: | 1 son, 1 daughter |
Belle Shenkman, (June 24, 1928 – March 11, 1995) was a Ukrainian-born, London-based Canadian arts patron and fundraiser.
Belle Shenkman was born as Bell Gubler was born on June 24, 1928, in Kiev, now the capital of Ukraine.[1] She emigrated to Canada with her parents when she was three months old.[1]
Shenkman organized the first European performance by the National Ballet of Canada, held at the London Coliseum in 1972.[1] She became a member of the Order of Canada in 1979.[1]
Shenkman raised £30,000 for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1982.[1] As a result, it performed at Sadler's Wells in London.[1]
Shenkman, then Gubler, married Harold Shenkman in 1948.[1] They had a son, William, and a daughter, Dasha, and later divorced.[1] She married Major General Desmond Smith in 1979; he died in 1991.[1]
Shenkman died on March 11, 1995, in London.[1] The Belle Shenkman Room at the Royal Academy of Arts is named in her memory.[2]