Bernheimer Fine Old Masters was a German art gallery and dealership in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
, owned by
Konrad Bernheimer.
History
In 1887,
Lehmann Bernheimer
Lehmann Bernheimer (27 December 1841 - 29 May 1918) was a German antique dealer, who built the Bernheimer-Haus in Munich.
He was born on 27 December 1841 in Buttenhausen near Münsingen, Germany, Münsingen, Württemberg, the third child of Mei ...
bought a small coffee house and beer garden (owned and run by an Englishman) called the ''English Café''. In its place was built the
Bernheimer-Haus
The Bernheimer-Haus, also known as the Bernheimer Palace, is a residential and commercial building located on Lenbachplatz 3 in Munich. The building was built in 1888/89 by architect Friedrich von Thiersch with a Baroque Revival architecture, neo-b ...
, which was officially opened in December 1889 by
Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria
''Leopold Charles Joseph William Louis''
, image_size =
, image = Luitpold Wittelsbach cropped.jpg
, succession = Prince Regent of Bavaria
, reign = 10 June 1886 – 12 December 1912
, reign-type = Tenure
, regent = Lud ...
.
Initially, the focus was on high-quality textiles, with the manufacture of luxury goods being slowly added. After a fire in 1897, the building was extended and antiques, tapestries and carpets were added.
In 1918, his son
Otto Bernheimer took over the business. In the late 1930s, he and his family were sent by the Nazis to
Dachau concentration camp
,
, commandant = List of commandants
, known for =
, location = Upper Bavaria, Southern Germany
, built by = Germany
, operated by = ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS)
, original use = Political prison
, construction ...
, but they were eventually allowed to emigrate to Venezuela. After the war, Otto Bernheimer returned, and in 1948, he moved into the art trade.
Otto's grandson
Konrad Bernheimer took over in 1977 and renamed the business as ''Bernheimer Fine Old Masters'', since the company was specializing in
paintings from the 16th to 19th centuries. In 1987, the Bernheimer-Haus was sold by Konrad Bernheimer to pay his co-heirs.
In 2002, he bought
Colnaghi
Colnaghi is an art dealership in St James's, central London, England, which is the oldest commercial art gallery in the world, having been established in 1760.
Foundation
The business that became the Colnaghi gallery was established by Itali ...
of London, the oldest existing art dealer in the world. In 2016, he shut down his business in Munich and concentrated on Colnaghi in London.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernheimer Fine Old Masters
German art dealers