ALTMAN, BENJAMIN ), American merchant and art collector, was born in New York, N.Y., July 12, 184o, where he was educated and achieved his business career. In 1905 he erected a large store on Fifth avenue which, with the addi tions on Madison avenue built in 1913-14, made his establish ment one of the great department stores of the world. Besides his outstanding success as a merchant he won wide reputation as an art collector. He formed a large and exceedingly valuable collec tion of paintings, especially of the old masters, among them 13 Rembrandts and some fine pictures by Botticelli, Filippo Lippi and Holbein. He purchased in 1912 the Velasquez portraits of King Philip IV. of Spain and of Olivares, for which he was reported to have paid about $1,000,000. He also made extensive collections of Chinese porcelains, rugs, crystals and other objects of art. The major part of his art collections was bequeathed to the Metro politan Museum of Art, New York city, and constitutes one of the most important gifts received by that institution. He died in New York city, Oct. 8, 1913.