Who

Brant is a newsprint magnate, magazine publisher, and real estate developer who's also a major art collector, polo player, and convicted tax evader. His wife is faded supermodel Stephanie Seymour.

Backstory

Born to a wealthy Bulgarian father who ran a successful paper-processing company, Brant attended the University of Colorado, where he met his first wife Sandra. The couple later moved to Manhattan and Brant took the reins of the family business, building it—along with his cousin Joseph Allen—into the multi-million dollar newsprint juggernaut Brant-Allen Industries. (The name was later changed to White Birch Paper.) Brant also immersed himself in the city's art scene, using some of his fortune to amass an impressive collection of contemporary art and befriending the likes of Andy Warhol in the process. Along the way, he found time for pet projects like the Greenwich Polo Club, which he founded in 1981, and buying and breeding thoroughbred racehorses.

In the mid-1980s, Brant branched out into publishing when he and his wife acquired The Magazine Antiques and Art in America, later buying Warhol's Interview—Brant had been an original backer of the title—in 1989. Brant didn't run the day-to-day operations at the magazines, but focused on his paper mills, polo ponies and various real estate acquisitions. Meanwhile, Sandy took a hands-on role at Brant Publications and became romantically involved with Interview editor Ingrid Sischy. (Brant got over the humiliation by hooking up with model Stephanie Seymour.) Recently, he bought out his ex-wife's 50 percent stake in the company, and both she and Sischy resigned. He now owns Brant Publications with silent partner Aby Rosen, who also owns a stake in White Birch.

Of note

Brant is known as one of the most aggressive collectors on the modern art scene and his portfolio is famously massive. He's a regular fixture at Christie's auctions (where he's just as competitive as he is on the polo field) and owns pieces by Basquiat, Jasper Johns, Julian Schnabel, and Cy Twombly, as well as a number of works by Warhol. He's also commissioned a number of artists to create personalized works: Warhol painted a portrait of Brant's late cocker spaniel and Jeff Koons recreated his massive "Puppy" topiary in the Brant's Connecticut backyard. More recently, he commissioned Maurizio Cattelan to create a wax bust of Seymour, which was mounted on a wood plaque and hung on the wall like a hunting trophy. Since the '90s Brant has also produced several films about art world figures, including 1996's Basquiat, directed by good friend Julian Schnabel; Pollock in 2000; and Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film in 2006.

Legal file

In 1990, Brant served 84 days in prison after pleading guilty to tax fraud. It was alleged that he had used company funds for a slew of personal expenses, like silk sheets at his Greenwich estate, groceries, antique jewelry, and massages. He ran into trouble again in 2003, when he and art dealer Larry Gagosian were accused of owing $26.5 in unpaid income taxes. The case was later settled.

Family ties

His son is Ryan Brant, who co-founded video game makers Take-Two Interactive when he was 21. The company, which Peter financed and which went public in 1997, made a name for itself publishing the blockbuster game Grand Theft Auto, in 1998. Looks like Brant Jr. inherited dad's talent for shifty bookkeeping: In 2007 he pleaded guilty to falsifying records in a stock-option-backdating scheme. Ryan later agreed to pay $7.3 million in penalties to New York State and to the S.E.C. His less disgraceful sibling is Christopher, an executive VP at White Birch Paper.

Personal

Brant married Sandy in the late 1960s and divorced her in 1994 after a long separation; the couple has five kids, including a set of triplets. In 1995, Brant married Seymour, with whom he's had three children—Peter Jr., Harry, and Lilly. His kids have all been encouraged to follow in dad's footsteps: Using their undoubtedly hefty allowances, they all collect art except for the youngest, Lilly, who is a toddler. The Brants live on an estate in Greenwich. They also have a home in Sagaponack (which they purchased for $6.1 million in 2002) and a residence in Palm Beach (which cost them $4.1 million in 2006).