2023-06-25 13:19:55
American Aileen Getty helped create a fund that has supported around 100 climate activist movements around the world. The heiress of the oil dynasty Getty is a committed personality, but who prefers to remain in the shadows.
A museum nestled on the heights of the hills overlooking Los Angeles: this is what the name Getty evokes today. But the family of oil magnate Jean Paul Getty (1892-1976), who was once the richest man in the world, left other traces in the Californian city.
Thus, a square in the city center is dedicated to his granddaughter, Aileen Getty. The heiress is discreet and rarely appears in the media.
Aileen Getty, 65, has however indirectly made headlines around the world. Indeed, environmental movements with punching actions, like Just Stop Oil, are financed by the Emergency Climate Fund that it created.
>> Also read: The Extinction Rebellion movement attracts the support of wealthy patrons
“Help others”
Who is Aileen Getty really? James Reginato, the author of “Growing Up Getty”, an exhaustive biography devoted to this dynasty, is perhaps best placed to attempt to unravel this mystery. He devotes an entire chapter to Aileen.
“She is a survivor. For a long time, she fought against a severe addiction to drugs, when she was in her twenties”, narrates the writer, interviewed in 7:30 p.m. “At the same time, she tested positive for HIV. But she managed to overcome her drug problem, regain her health and she wanted to use her means to help others.”
The Just Stop Oil collective made a name for itself in October 2022 by sprinkling soup on a Van Gogh painting in London. [Just Stop Oil via AP – Keystone]
From the 90s, Aileen Getty devoted herself to the cause of the homeless and the fight against AIDS, in the company of her mother-in-law Elizabeth Taylor. But she avoids publicity, a reserve that is part of her character.
“He’s a shy person,” notes James Reginato. “She’s not looking for recognition. Frankly, I think she thinks she’s more effective if she stays in the background.”
For the environmental cause
Aileen Getty is now passionate about the environment. It may seem strange for the heiress to a fortune built on the oil wells. But Aileen Getty responded directly to these criticisms.
James Reginato quotes her in his book: “I am aware of the image it projects. I want to do what is right and good. It is not necessarily a remedy, it is what I can do as a ‘human being. I happen to have ways to offer. In the end, we all have to do what’s right.”
Aileen Getty is determined to support, even in excess, a climate cause that has become that of her life.
Sujet TV: Aviva Fried
Adaptation web: Antoine Michel
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