The death of Matthew Christopher Pietras, an arts patron who had pledged millions to the Metropolitan Opera and the Frick Collection but whose wealth was not his own, has been ruled a suicide by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York.
Pietras was found dead on May 30 in his Manhattan apartment, but the medical examiner’s determination was delayed by toxicology tests, according to the New York Times, which first reported the news. The report attributed his death to acute intoxication by pharmaceutical drugs caused by the “combined effects of cyclobenzaprine, clonazepam and propranolol,” per the Times.
The extent of Pietras’s philanthropy and its true source were detailed in a lengthy reported by New York magazine in July. The most high-profile of these was a $15 million pledge to the Met Opera, which was announced in April, with the first installment to come in the near term. When Pietras tried to transfer $10 million, it was marked as fraudulent.
Eventually, a representative for Gregory Soros, the youngest son of billionaire and philanthropist George Soros and Pietras’s then employer, told the Met Opera that the money belonged to the Soros family and not Pietras, according to the Times. Pietras had described himself as a financial manager for Gregory Soros, but the New York magazine article said his role was closer to a personal assistant and property manager for several of his boss’s homes.
The Frick has declined to disclose the total amount that Pietras donated to the museum over the years. But the museum’s annual report for 2023–24 lists him in the $1 million–$4.99 million tier, with his donations having started during the museum’s 2018–19 fiscal year, according to a report by Artnet News. He attended several of the Frick’s galas and he reportedly paid for 60 friends to attend the Frick’s reopening soiree this past spring.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.
