Artists

Henri Matisse, Alberto Giacometti, Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee

Press release

Picasso – Klee – Matisse – Giacometti. Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen/Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin

Along the same lines as Paul Guillaume, German dealer-collector Heinz Berggruen built up an exceptional collection of 20th century masters. This exhibition explores the relationship of this unusual gallery owner with his artists and his art market network in post-war Paris.

It would be wrong to describe the life of Heinz Berggruen as destiny. He was born to a Jewish family in Berlin, and sought refuge in California at the dawn of the Second World War. After studying in France, his first contacts with the art world were in San Francisco. When the war was over, Berggruen preferred to return to Europe, first to his native country as a journalist, and then to the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. He became weary and little by little made his way into the art market: first he had a gallery on Place Dauphine, and then moved permanently to Rue de l’Université where he specialized in graphic arts of modern artists.

He was passionate about his work and quickly made contacts in the Paris world of culture, and met not just artists to exhibit but also poets, art dealers, historians, critics and collectors of the time. Berggruen made a name for himself in the capital and due to his great success became “his best client”. Guided by his own tastes and affinities, he built up a solid collection of 20th century works from his favorite masters: Picasso and Klee.