A collection of poignant personal photographs belonging to the late socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein has been unearthed, shedding new light on the early years of her marriage to her billionaire ex-husband and their family life on his beloved safari ranch.
Jocelyn died suddenly from a pulmonary embolism on New Year’s Eve in Paris at the age of 84, with tributes and pictures of the star pouring in as people remembered her extraordinary life.
Famous for her cosmetic surgeries and distinctive facial features, Jocelyn’s feline look and love of wild animals earned her the nickname ‘Catwoman’ – as well as the attentions of art dealer Alec Wildenstein.
The pair were married for 20 years and shared two children, but later made headlines around the world for Alec’s infidelity and their explosive divorce which saw Jocelyn receive a staggering $2.5 billion settlement.
Now new pictures show the couple in happier times, spending their days at the Ol Jogi ranch where they met, raised their family and shared their passion for hunting and conservation.
Swiss-born Jocelyn met Alec – the heir of the art world’s richest and most famous family – in 1977 while on a trip with friends at his sprawling 66,000 acre estate in Kenya.
The model was aged 31 at the time and had already enjoyed a glamourous lifestyle in Paris and New York, mixing with high society and enjoying a lavish lifestyle.
The jetset socialite already had a soft spot for Africa before her trip, and bonded with Alec over their shared passion for the continent, saying later that ‘what we both had in common was our love for Africa, wild things.’
Describing their first encounter, she said: ‘My initial conversation with Alec was no conversation at all. It was a 5am lion hunt, and we were in the blind, all camouflaged and waiting in the bushes, not allowed to talk.’
They shared their first meal that evening – the heart of one of the lions they had hunted together.
One striking picture shows Jocelyn Wildenstein posing alongside an antelope on the sprawling private estate
Jocelyn Wildenstein in her younger years while spending time at the ranch in Kenya
Jocelyn met art dealer Alec Wildenstein at ranch Ol Jogi in Kenya, which he part owned at the time and went on to buy
A black and white snap shows a young Jocelyn toting a gun while riding a horse, with two giraffes standing on the grassland in the background
One picture shows the glamorous socialite by a pool in her younger years. She installed multiple swimming pools and lakes at the Kenyan ranch
Jocelyn died suddenly from a pulmonary embolism on New Year’s Eve in Paris at the age of 84 (pictured in 2017)
Jocelyn said Alec then asked her to ride motorcycles up one of the mountains on the estate, to an area they called the Top of the World.
‘That was our premier baiser – first kiss,’ she told New York magazine in a 1997 interview.
The couple’s whirlwind romance saw them marry in a Hilton hotel suite in Las Vegas with just a handful of witnesses in attendance a year later.
Jocelyn gave birth to their two children, Diane and Alec Jr., soon after, and the family spent their time between their Manhattan penthouse, compound in the British Virgin Islands and estate in Kenya.
Alec had shared the property with his friend Henry Roussell and the couple bought him out for full ownership in 1985.
The couple first took their children to the ranch when they were just a few months old, and sweet pictures show Diane and Alec Jr spending time with their parents there.
The youngsters are seen with their mother – wearing her trademark leopard print – alongside two men and a camel bedecked in flowers.
One shows the kids beaming as they celebrate a birthday with a cake in the shape of an animal.
Jocelyn made the ranch her project, renovating the main residence and overseeing the infrastructure across the huge estate.
One snap shows Jocelyn wearing her trademark leopard print alongside her children Diane and Alec Jr and two men and a camel bedecked in flowers
Alec and Jocelyn pose with their children, Diane and Alec Jr, as they celebrate a birthday in one picture
Jocelyn is seen in her younger years exploring a bamboo forest. She regularly spoke about her love of nature
Pictures show the socialite and art dealer in happier times
Jocelyn had two children with Alec Wildenstein – their daughter Diane and son Alec Jr
Jocelyn was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, before moving to Paris where she began her life as a socialite
Jocelyne Wildenstein and her husband Alec Wildenstein
She hired the architect Jon Cavanaugh, after interviewing dozens of others, because he had written his thesis on Gaudi and she did not want the home to be a modern ‘straight line’.
She was in charge of the maintenance of the 250 miles of roads on the property as well as the installation of multiple swimming pools and some 55 man-made lakes.
Pictures show her touring the vast estate and posing alongside wild animals.
In a black and white snap she is seen toting a gun while riding a horse, with two giraffes standing on the grassland in the background.
Ranch Ol Jogi was renovated by Jocelyn and its safari compound covers a staggering 66,000 acres of land
Jocelyn atop an elephant while carrying one of her pets at the safari ranch
Jocelyn’s feline look and love of wild animals earned her the nickname ‘Catwoman’
The estate was inherited by Alec Wildenstein Jnr, who took over its management after his father died in 2008.
Describing his love for the private safari experiences it offers, he said: ‘I hate feeling like a tourist… Here you don’t feel like a tourist.’
Jocelyn and Alec’s marriage famously ended after she discovered him with a Russian model in their Manhattan apartment and he chased her outside with a gun.
She called it quits, and their messy divorce ended in 1999 with her receiving a $2.5billion settlement followed by payments of $100million a year for 13 years afterwards.
She enjoyed a lavish lifestyle and mixed with continued to mix with the rich and famous. She met fashion designer Lloyd Klein in 2003 and the pair got engaged in 2017, remaining so until her death.
The model was aged 31 when she met Alec, and had already enjoyed a glamourous lifestyle in Paris and New York, mixing with high society and enjoying a lavish lifestyle.
Famous for her cosmetic surgeries and distinctive facial features, Jocelyn’s feline look and love of wild animals earned her the nickname ‘Catwoman’ – as well as the attentions of art dealer Alec Wildenstein (pictured together)
The late Jocelyn and Alec Wildenstein shared a passion for hunting during their 20-year marriage
The family spent their time between their Manhattan penthouse, compound in the British Virgin Islands and estate in Kenya
Jocelyn and Alec’s marriage famously ended after she discovered him with a Russian model in their Manhattan apartment and he chased her outside with a gun
Jocelyn and Alec had a whirlwind romance – marrying a year after they met and having children soon after
The couple’s romance saw them marry in Las Vegas with just a handful of witnesses in attendance
Pictures appear to show Jocelyn and Alec Wildenstein being legally wed. They married in 1978
She met fashion designer Lloyd Klein in 2003 and the pair got engaged in 2017, remaining so until her death
Throughout her life was often referred to as ‘catwoman’ as it was said she had several cosmetic procedures to make herself look like a lion or wild cat in Africa.
But following her death, her fiancé Klein rubbished those claims and said her renowned feline features were natural.
‘She never wanted to look like a cat,’ he said. ‘She always had those feline features.
‘She did have cat eyes and cheekbones and like every woman, when she wanted to have some work to make her look younger, she had a lifting, some little changes and she did whatever she wanted to do.
‘It’s her face and when she looked in the mirror, she was very happy. The stories about her wanting to look like a cat are rubbish – it is all fake.
‘Why would she want to look like a cat? She loved wild animals; she had a cheetah as a pet that would lie on the sofa because she loved the wild world. But she never wanted to look like a cat.’
