§ A Biography by Terry, his first cousin

Ahead of the Field

Barney A. Ebsworth: first on the track, first at sea, first to the art. The life of the St. Louis boy (1934–2018) who ran the quarter-mile, built two cruise lines, and assembled one of the great American art collections — told by the cousin who knew him.

A private family biography by Terry · Barney's first cousin · St. Louis to Hunts Point
Barney A. Ebsworth aboard the Newport Clipper

About this biography

A first cousin's life of Barney Ebsworth

Barney Ebsworth was a St. Louis boy raised on “one and a half paychecks” who grew up to be an NCAA-finals sprinter, an Eagle Scout at fourteen, an Army corporal who willed himself to France, the founder of the pioneering travel company INTRAV and of two cruise lines — and the collector of one of the finest private holdings of American Modernism ever assembled. He counted Georgia O'Keeffe among his friends and Bill Gates among his neighbors, and in the end he gave a Frank Lloyd Wright house to the public.

This is his life told by Terry — Barney's first cousin — drawing on Barney's own words, his 2017 Smithsonian oral history, family memory, and years of archival research. It's written warmly and for keeps: the businesses and the paintings, yes, but also the twin sister, the marriages, the ships, the houses, and the jokes.

Among the sources: Barney's 2012 autobiography, A World of Possibility (Hunts Point Publishing); the Smithsonian Archives of American Art oral history (2017); Christie's 2018 sale records; and family testimony.

“I am a very lucky man. I have had the kind of wonderful life that many people dream about — I've traveled the world many times over, befriended celebrities, run several successful businesses that ensured I haven't had to worry about money, fathered a terrific daughter and become a grandfather, and have dedicated a good portion of my life to my passion of collecting art. But this life didn't spring forth from nowhere. It started with the best possible foundation: two loving parents.”

— Barney A. Ebsworth, opening lines of his 2012 memoir
Table of Contents

Thirteen Chapters, One Life

I
Chapter OneHead of the FamilyWindsor Castle, the first Barney and his 1904 World's Fair guidebook, twin-born in the Depression, and the English father who stuttered like his King.
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II
Chapter Two$12,000 a YearThe benchmark. Eagle Scout at 14 alongside his dad. Quarter-miler. NCAA finals, 9.6 seconds, dead last. Washington University and out to the Army.
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III
Chapter ThreeArmy DaysFort Leonard Wood in zero degrees with no door. An M-1 round that took his helmet off. Willing himself to France, the ammo depot, and the highest-paid corporal on the base.
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IV
Chapter FourFalling for FranceParis, the Louvre, and a French girl named Martine at the USO on New Year's Eve, 1956. A black Volkswagen with two hearts painted on the back.
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V
Chapter FiveThe Travel BusinessFrom a dingy ex-wig shop to a $5,000 cosigned stake. Harry Pope's food tour. The “rat race” Europe 21-dayers. Turning down $350,000 to sell.
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VI
Chapter SixINTRAVA new name for a new idea: the first-class special-interest charter. Orient Adventure. Around-the-world programs. Bigger than the big guys.
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VII
Chapter SevenMaking HistoryFirst private-charter around-the-world air programs. Selling to dental and bar associations. The Missouri Theater Building headquarters.
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VIII
Chapter EightCruisingRoyal Cruise Line (1971), the Golden Odyssey, Clipper Cruise Line (1981). Small ships in Antarctica. Selling Royal to Norwegian in 1989.
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IX
Chapter NineBringing the Museum HomeFrom European taste to American Modernism. Building the collection that would one day headline a $317-million Christie's sale.
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X
Chapter TenGeorgia O'KeeffeBuying Music—Pink and Blue No. 1. Abiquiu, Ghost Ranch, and the silver OK pin. A friendship across half a century of American art.
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XI
Chapter ElevenThe ExperienceWhat collecting does to a life. Lending, showing, and the year the National Gallery put the Ebsworth Collection on its walls.
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XII
Chapter TwelveRetirementSelling to Kuoni Reisen in 1999. Hunts Point, Washington. The house built to hold the collection. Pam, and the life after the travel business.
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XIII
Chapter ThirteenThe House He SavedThe Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park. The Kraus House Wright designed in 1950, Barney's $1-million gift in 2001, and the 75/25 anniversary the park celebrates in 2026.
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♦
AfterwordLooking BackThe coda — what Barney wanted the reader to carry away.
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How this biography is sourced. Written by Terry, Barney's first cousin, it draws on Barney's own 2012 memoir A World of Possibility, his 2017 Smithsonian oral history, Christie's sale records, and family testimony. Direct quotations are marked and attributed; the rest is careful paraphrase with the spirit preserved. Barney's memoir surfaces occasionally in the used market at AbeBooks and at specialist art-book dealers such as Wittenborn Art Books and Dunaway Books.
A raw scan & transcription of Barney's 2012 memoir are archived on this server at /barneybook/.