Wesley LePatner, an elective trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Blackstone executive, was among the four individuals killed after a gunman opened fire in a Midtown Manhattan office building yesterday evening, July 28.
LePatner, who is survived by her husband and two children, was elected by The Met’s Board of Trustees in February and belonged to the institution’s Friends of European Paintings, a group of donors committing $10,000 annually to the department to support acquisitions and programming.
In a statement shared with Hyperallergic, Met Director Max Hollein described LePatner as “a brilliant and visionary leader, a generous spirit, and a person of deep intellect and warmth.”
“Wesley’s extraordinary professional accomplishments were matched by her commitment to education, culture, and community, and we were honored to welcome her to The Met family earlier this year,” Hollein said.
LePatner earned her Bachelor’s degree in History at Yale University and spent more than a decade working at Goldman Sachs before she ascended to the role of chief executive officer of Blackstone Real Estate’s Investment Committee. She also belonged to Yale’s Library Council, according to a biography on Blackstone’s website.
“She was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond,” Blackstone said in a statement shared with Hyperallergic.
Police have identified 27-year-old Shane Tamura of Las Vegas as the shooter. Investigators believe Tamura entered the 345 Park Avenue building with the intention of targeting the National Football League, whose offices are also located there. Security guard Aland Etienne, off-duty police officer Didarul Islam, and Rudin Management employee Julia Hyman were also killed in the shooting.
