Berggruen Museum
Encyclopedia
The Berggruen Museum is a collection of modern art
classics in Berlin
, which the collector and dealer Heinz Berggruen
, in a "gesture of reconciliation", gave to his native city for a price well below its actual value. The most notable artists on display include Pablo Picasso
, Alberto Giacometti
, Georges Braque
, Paul Klee
and Henri Matisse
. The Berggruen Collection is part of the National Gallery of Berlin.
The collection arrived in Berlin in 1996, with Berggruen's return to his native city after six decades in exile. Berggruen initially lent the collection, which he had assembled over 30 years, to the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
(PCHF). He finally sold it to the PCHF in December 2000, for the "symbolic" price of 253 million marks, well below its then estimated value of 1.5 billion marks. Today it is exhibited under the title "Berggruen Collection – Picasso and His Time" as part of the National Gallery of Berlin, in the West Stüler
Building on Schloßstraße, opposite Charlottenburg Palace
.
The centrepiece of the collection is the work of Picasso, with over 100 exhibits, together with over 60 pictures by Paul Klee. Henri Matisse is represented by over 20 works, including more than half a dozen of his famous cutouts. Sculpture
ensembles by Alberto Giacometti and examples of African sculpture round out the core of the collection.
Berggruen continued to purchase works after the museum's opening in 1996, including Picasso's important 1909 painting Houses on the Hill (Horta de Ebro) from the Museum of Modern Art
in New York
. A total of 165 works were transferred from Berggruen to the PCHF in the 2000 sale.
In 2005 the Berggruen family acquired Picasso's Nu Jaune (1907) for $13.7 million at Sotheby's
in New York. This gouache
is one of the first studies for Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
, a milestone in 20th century art.
To mark the 10th anniversary of the museum, and his permanent retirement from public life at the age of 92, Berggruen donated a sculpture by Alberto Giacometti, Standing Woman III, to the collection in December 2006. It had in fact already been on loan at the museum until then, standing in the Stüler Building's rotunda
. To keep the two-meter high bronze statue within the collection – his life's work – Berggruen quickly purchased it and donated it to the PCHF. Several weeks later, on 23 February 2007, he died in Paris
.
The museum received 1.5 million visitors during its first decade from 1996 to 2006. Besides the permanent exhibition "Picasso and His Time", the museum hosts numerous special exhibitions on themes of classic modern art.
, among others. To make an expansion possible, the state of Berlin announced that it would endow the PCHF with a new building for its 50th anniversary: the Kommandantenhaus, adjacent to the West Stüler Building.
A society for friends of the Berggruen Museum (Förderkreis Museum Berggruen e. V.) was founded at the same time, with members including Berggruen's widow Bettina, his children Nicolas
, Olivier and Helen, as well as Michael Blumenthal, Michael Naumann
and Simon de Pury
. The PCHF agreed to take on the running costs of the society.
Plans were announced in 2008 to connect the two buildings with a glass pergola
, chosen from an architectural competition, to be paid for by the government and installed by the state of Berlin.
In May 2008 a further 70 paintings were added to the collection.
Modern art
Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...
classics in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, which the collector and dealer Heinz Berggruen
Heinz Berggruen
Heinz Berggruen was a German art dealer and collector who founded the Berggruen Museum in Berlin, Germany.-Biography:...
, in a "gesture of reconciliation", gave to his native city for a price well below its actual value. The most notable artists on display include Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
, Alberto Giacometti
Alberto Giacometti
Alberto Giacometti was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draughtsman, and printmaker.Alberto Giacometti was born in the canton Graubünden's southerly alpine valley Val Bregaglia and came from an artistic background; his father, Giovanni, was a well-known post-Impressionist painter...
, Georges Braque
Georges Braque
Georges Braque[p] was a major 20th century French painter and sculptor who, along with Pablo Picasso, developed the art style known as Cubism.-Early Life:...
, Paul Klee
Paul Klee
Paul Klee was born in Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland, and is considered both a German and a Swiss painter. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. He was, as well, a student of orientalism...
and Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter...
. The Berggruen Collection is part of the National Gallery of Berlin.
History
Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation , headquartered in Berlin, Germany, is one of the largest cultural institutions in the world. It was founded by a West German federal law passed on 25 July 1957, with the mission to acquire and protect the cultural legacy of the former state of Prussia...
(PCHF). He finally sold it to the PCHF in December 2000, for the "symbolic" price of 253 million marks, well below its then estimated value of 1.5 billion marks. Today it is exhibited under the title "Berggruen Collection – Picasso and His Time" as part of the National Gallery of Berlin, in the West Stüler
Friedrich August Stüler
Friedrich August Stüler was an influential Prussian architect and builder. His masterwork is the Neues Museum in Berlin, as well as the dome of the triumphal arch of the main portal of the Berliner Stadtschloss.-Life:...
Building on Schloßstraße, opposite Charlottenburg Palace
Charlottenburg Palace
Charlottenburg Palace is the largest palace in Berlin, Germany, and the only royal residency in the city dating back to the time of the Hohenzollern family. It is located in the Charlottenburg district of the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf burough.The palace was built at the end of the 17th century...
.
The centrepiece of the collection is the work of Picasso, with over 100 exhibits, together with over 60 pictures by Paul Klee. Henri Matisse is represented by over 20 works, including more than half a dozen of his famous cutouts. Sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
ensembles by Alberto Giacometti and examples of African sculpture round out the core of the collection.
Berggruen continued to purchase works after the museum's opening in 1996, including Picasso's important 1909 painting Houses on the Hill (Horta de Ebro) from the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. A total of 165 works were transferred from Berggruen to the PCHF in the 2000 sale.
In 2005 the Berggruen family acquired Picasso's Nu Jaune (1907) for $13.7 million at Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
in New York. This gouache
Gouache
Gouache[p], also spelled guache, the name of which derives from the Italian guazzo, water paint, splash or bodycolor is a type of paint consisting of pigment suspended in water. A binding agent, usually gum arabic, is also present, just as in watercolor...
is one of the first studies for Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
He followed his success by developing into his Rose period from 1904 to 1907, which introduced a strong element of sensuality and sexuality into his work...
, a milestone in 20th century art.
To mark the 10th anniversary of the museum, and his permanent retirement from public life at the age of 92, Berggruen donated a sculpture by Alberto Giacometti, Standing Woman III, to the collection in December 2006. It had in fact already been on loan at the museum until then, standing in the Stüler Building's rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
. To keep the two-meter high bronze statue within the collection – his life's work – Berggruen quickly purchased it and donated it to the PCHF. Several weeks later, on 23 February 2007, he died in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
The museum received 1.5 million visitors during its first decade from 1996 to 2006. Besides the permanent exhibition "Picasso and His Time", the museum hosts numerous special exhibitions on themes of classic modern art.
Expansion
In July 2007 the heirs to Berggruen's estate announced that they would present a further 50 classic modern works to the museum, in order to continue in their father's tradition of reconciliation with Germany. Since the transfer at Christmas 2000 Berggruen had continued to purchase paintings, including works by Picasso, Matisse, Klee and CézannePaul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. Cézanne can be said to form the bridge between late 19th...
, among others. To make an expansion possible, the state of Berlin announced that it would endow the PCHF with a new building for its 50th anniversary: the Kommandantenhaus, adjacent to the West Stüler Building.
A society for friends of the Berggruen Museum (Förderkreis Museum Berggruen e. V.) was founded at the same time, with members including Berggruen's widow Bettina, his children Nicolas
Nicolas Berggruen
Nicolas Berggruen is an investor. He is the son of art collector Heinz Berggruen. He is the founder and president of Berggruen Holdings, a private investment company and the Nicolas Berggruen Institute, a political think tank. His father created the Museum Berggruen in Berlin and his mother was...
, Olivier and Helen, as well as Michael Blumenthal, Michael Naumann
Michael Naumann
Michael Naumann is a German politician, publisher and journalist. He was the German secretary of culture from 1998 until 2001. He is married to Marie Warburg, daughter of Eric Warburg and granddaughter of Max Warburg....
and Simon de Pury
Simon de Pury
Simon de Pury is a Swiss art auctioneer and collector. He is chairman and co-founder of the art auction house Phillips de Pury & Company, one of the largest art auction houses in the world. Mr. de Pury is often called "the Mick Jagger of art auctions" for his masterful, exciting style of...
. The PCHF agreed to take on the running costs of the society.
Plans were announced in 2008 to connect the two buildings with a glass pergola
Pergola
A pergola, arbor or arbour is a garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are trained...
, chosen from an architectural competition, to be paid for by the government and installed by the state of Berlin.
In May 2008 a further 70 paintings were added to the collection.