Berthe Weill (

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

1865 – 1951) was a French

art dealer An art dealer is a person or company that buys and sells works of art, or acts as the intermediary between the buyers and sellers of art. An art dealer in contemporary art typically seeks out various artists to represent, and builds relationshi ...

who played a vital role in the creation of the market for twentieth-century art with the manifestation of the Parisian

Avant-Garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

. Although she is much less known than her well-established competitors like

Ambroise Vollard Ambroise Vollard (3 July 1866 – 21 July 1939) was a French art dealer who is regarded as one of the most important dealers in French contemporary art at the beginning of the twentieth century. He is credited with providing exposure and emotio ...

, Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler and Paul Rosenberg, she may be credited with producing the first sales in Paris for

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

and

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known prima ...

and with providing

Amedeo Modigliani Amedeo Clemente Modigliani (, ; 12 July 1884 – 24 January 1920) was an Italian painter and sculptor who worked mainly in France. He is known for portraits and nudes in a modern style characterized by a surreal elongation of faces, necks, and ...

with the only solo

exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibition ...

in his lifetime (see poster advertising the exhibition). The impressive list of artists who made their way through her

gallery Gallery or The Gallery may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Art gallery ** Contemporary art gallery Music * Gallery (band), an American soft rock band of the 1970s Albums * ''Gallery'' (Elaiza album), 2014 album * ''Gallery'' (Gr ...

and into the canon of modern art continues with names such as

Raoul Dufy Raoul Dufy (; 3 June 1877 – 23 March 1953) was a French Fauvism, Fauvist painter. He developed a colorful, decorative style that became fashionable for designs of ceramic art, ceramics and textile as well as decorative schemes for public bu ...

André Derain André Derain (, ; 10 June 1880 – 8 September 1954) was a French artist, painter, sculptor and co-founder of Fauvism with Henri Matisse. Biography Early years Derain was born in 1880 in Chatou, Yvelines, Île-de-France, just outside Paris. I ...

Maurice de Vlaminck Maurice de Vlaminck (4 April 1876 – 11 October 1958) was a French painter. Along with André Derain and Henri Matisse, he is considered one of the principal figures in the Fauve movement, a group of modern artists who from 1904 to 1908 w ...

Diego Rivera Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez, known as Diego Rivera (; December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957), was a prominent Mexican painter. His large frescoes helped establish the ...

Georges Braque Georges Braque ( , ; 13 May 1882 – 31 August 1963) was a major 20th-century List of French artists, French painter, Collage, collagist, Drawing, draughtsman, printmaker and sculpture, sculptor. His most notable contributions were in his all ...

Kees van Dongen Cornelis Theodorus Maria "Kees" van Dongen (26 January 1877 – 28 May 1968) was a Dutch-French painter who was one of the leading Fauvism, Fauves. Van Dongen's early work was influenced by the Hague School and symbolism and it evolved gradually ...

Maurice Utrillo Maurice Utrillo (), born Maurice Valadon; 26 December 1883 – 5 November 1955), was a French painter of the School of Paris who specialized in cityscapes. Born in the Montmartre quarter of Paris, France, Utrillo is one of the few famous painte ...

and

Jean Metzinger Jean Dominique Antony Metzinger (; 24 June 1883 – 3 November 1956) was a major 20th-century French painter, theorist, writer, critic and poet, who along with Albert Gleizes wrote the first theoretical work on Cubism. His earliest works, from 1 ...

. Her role was also important in the early exposure and sales of women painters such as

Suzanne Valadon Suzanne Valadon (23 September 18657 April 1938) was a French painter who was born Marie-Clémentine Valadon at Bessines-sur-Gartempe, Haute-Vienne, France. In 1894, Valadon became the first woman painter admitted to the Société Nationale des B ...

, Emilie Charmy and Jacqueline Marval. In 1933, Weill published her

memoirs A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiog ...

, an account of thirty years as an

, from which many historical renditions quote.Weill, Berthe. "Pan ! Dans L'œil! Ou trente ans dans les coulisses de la peinture contemporaine 1900-1930", Lipschutz, Paris 1933 Her gallery lasted until 1939 and notwithstanding the number of luminary artists that passed through her gallery, she remained poor and destitute her whole life and after her death was almost forgotten. Recently, interest in Berthe Weill has become more significant. FitzGerald Michael, "Making Modernism: Picasso and the Creation of the Market for Twentieth-Century Art", Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York", 1995,

In 2007, Picasso's portrait of Berthe Weill (1920) was designated a French national treasure. In 2009 her memoirs (1933) were republishedWeill, Berthe, "Pan ! Dans L'œil ! Ou trente ans dans les coulisses de la peinture contemporaine 1900-1930", L'Échelle de Jacob, 2009 (Préface by François Roussier de la Tronche) and a compilation of her gallery exhibitions;Sanchez, Pierre, "Les expositions de la Galerie Berthe Weill (1901-1942) et de la Galerie

Devambez Maison Devambez is the name of a fine printer's firm in Paris. It operated under that name from 1873, when a printing business established by the royal engraver Hippolyte Brasseux in 1826 was acquired by Édouard Devambez. At first the firm spe ...

(1907-1926) Repertoire des artistes et liste de leurs œuvres", II, L'Échelle de Jacob, Dijon, 2009 in 2011 the first study dedicated to her life and dealership was published by leading Weill scholar Marianne Le Morvan. In February 2012, the City of Paris decided to place a memorial plaque at 25 rue Victor Massé (Paris), where Berthe Weill opened her first gallery in 1900.

Life and career

Esther Berthe Weill was born in Paris into an

Alsatian Jewish The history of the Jews in Alsace is one of the oldest in Europe. It was first attested to in 1165 by Benjamin of Tudela, who wrote about a "large number of learned men" in "Strasbourg, Astransbourg"; and it is assumed that it dates back to ar ...

lower middle class In developed nations around the world, the lower middle class is a subdivision of the greater middle class. Universally, the term refers to the group of middle class households or individuals who have not attained the status of the upper middle ...

family, one of seven children. As her parents were of modest means, Weill was placed as an apprentice in Mayer's antique shop where she learned the business of the trade and acquired considerable knowledge, in particular, of eighteenth century

engravings Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...

. This experience would serve her well as she also met

collectors Collector(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Collector (character), a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe * ''Collector'' (2011 film), a 2011 Indian Malayalam film * ''Collector'' (2016 film), a 2016 Russian film * ''Collec ...

, writers and other dealers. Upon Mayer's death, she opened a little shop in association with one of her brothers, but it did not last long (1897-1900). Under the influence of Roger Marx, a renowned

art critic An art critic is a person who is specialized in analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art. Their written critiques or reviews contribute to art criticism and they are published in newspapers, magazines, books, exhibition brochures, and catalogue ...

, she became interested in the art of the new young painters. She bought, exhibited, and sold work by

Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

before the artist moved to Paris, becoming his first dealer in 1900. On December 1, 1901, Weill used part of her dowry to open "Galerie B. Weill" at 25 rue Victor Massé, calling it a place for the young. There she bought and sold modernist works of art, largely

Fauvist Fauvism /ˈfoʊvɪzm̩/ is the style of ''les Fauves'' (French language, French for "the wild beasts"), a group of early 20th-century modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the Representation (arts), repr ...

and

Cubist Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...

. She did not amass a large collection, nor focus in on a particular style or set of artists, causing many artists to switch to more financially stable dealers as their careers progressed. In 1908 and 1909, she exhibited works by Fauves including

Braque Georges Braque ( , ; 13 May 1882 – 31 August 1963) was a major 20th-century List of French artists, French painter, Collage, collagist, Drawing, draughtsman, printmaker and sculpture, sculptor. His most notable contributions were in his all ...

, Derain, Manguin,

Marquet Marquet is an occupational surname of French origin, which means a woodworker in marquetry. The name may refer to: *Adrien Marquet (1884–1955), French politician *Albert Marquet (1875–1947), French painter * Andrée Marquet (born 1934), French ...

Marval Marval (; ) is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in west-central France. Inhabitants are known as ''Marvalais'' in French. See also *Communes of the Haute-Vienne department The following is a list of ...

and

Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known prima ...

. In 1913, she curated a show with works by Gleizes, Léger and Metzinger. She hosted a group exhibition with works by and Gleizes, Léger, and

. Galerie Berthe Weill changed locations in 1917, from 25 rue Victor-Massé to 50 rue Taitbout, then again in 1919 to 46 rue Laffitte, in the former gallery of Clovis Sagot. At the same time Weill inaugurated her "librairie artistique" and launched her publication titled '' Bulletin''. In 1941, rising

antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

and the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

forced her to close her gallery. In 1946, many painters who she had championed over the years came together and held an auction of their donated art work, the proceeds went to support the dealer so she could live in some comfort for the last years of her life. In 1948, the Republic of France recognized her as a Chevalier de

Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

, for her contribution to

Modern Art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradi ...

. In 1951, Weill died at the age of 86. Although she was recognized at some level during her lifetime, she was left with a legacy of being either misunderstood or relegated to the footnotes of historical accounts of the period, until recent renewed interest emerged.

Artists

, Jeanne (Jane) Rosoy, Derain,

Vlaminck Maurice de Vlaminck (4 April 1876 – 11 October 1958) was a French painter. Along with André Derain and Henri Matisse, he is considered one of the principal figures in the Fauve movement, a group of modern artists who from 1904 to 1908 w ...

, Manguin, Camoin,

, Friesz,

van Dongen Van Dongen is a Dutch toponymic surname meaning "from/of Dongen", a town in North Brabant.

, Utrillo, Puy, Metzinger, Odette Des Garets, Modigliani, Rouault,

Marie Laurencin Marie Laurencin (31 October 1883 – 8 June 1956) was a French painter and printmaker. She became an important figure in the Parisian Avant-garde#:~:text=The avant-garde (/ˌ,art, culture, or society., avant-garde as a member of the Cubism, Cubist ...

, Emilie Charmy, Kisling,

Flandrin Flandrin is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include a family of 19th and 20th-century painters: *Jean-Hippolyte Flandrin (1809–1864), French painter, the best-known of the family *Paul Flandrin (1811–1902), painter, brother of ...

, Léger,

Pascin Julius Mordecai Pincas (March 31, 1885 – June 5, 1930), known as Pascin (; erroneously or ), Jules Pascin, or the "Prince of Montparnasse", was a Bulgarian artist known for his paintings and drawings. He later became an American citizen. ...

Georges Kars Georges Kars (Georges Karpeles or Georg Karpeles - Jiří Karpeles) (2 May 1880, other sources 1882 – 5 February 1945) was a Czech painter known for his landscapes and nude paintings. Life Georges Kars was born to a German Jewish family ...

Collectors

* Adolphe Brisson, Literary Critic for ''Temps'' Picasso's first sales in Paris were three pastels on canvas depicting bullfighting scenes, which Weill sold to him in 1900. * Arthur Huc, Director of ''La Dépêche de Toulouse''. Weill sold ''Le Moulin de la Galette'' (1900) to Arthur Huc. According to John Richardson, Huc was "one of the most progressive collectors of the day". Later this painting was bought by Justin Thannhauser who donated it to the Guggenheim Museum (NY). * Franz Jourdain, Architect of the Samaritaine Department Store, first president of the

Salon d'Automne The Salon d'Automne (; en, Autumn Salon), or Société du Salon d'automne, is an art exhibition held annually in Paris, France. Since 2011, it is held on the Champs-Élysées, between the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, in mid-October. The ...

; in 1902, Weill sold a Marquet to him. Elderfield, John, "

Fauvism Fauvism /ˈfoʊvɪzm̩/ is the style of ''les Fauves'' (French language, French for "the wild beasts"), a group of early 20th-century modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the Representation (arts), repr ...

: The "Wild Beasts" and Its Affinities", Exh. cat., The Museum of Modern Art, 1976 * André Level, Head of the consortium of investors who, in 1904, began forming the Peau de l'Ours art collection of twentieth-century art. In 1914, it was sold at auction and was notable for its "phenomenal financial success". "Weill claimed that three-quarters of the items in the collection were purchased from her gallery. Even if she exaggerated, there is no doubt that Level bought from her on a regular basis. * Gertrude and

Leo Stein Leo Stein (May 11, 1872 – July 29, 1947) was an American art collector and critic. He was born in Allegheny City (now in Pittsburgh), the older brother of Gertrude Stein. He became an influential promoter of 20th-century paintings. Education ...

, American expatriates living in Paris who played a pivotal role in promoting and collecting avant-garde art * Olivier Saincère,

Counsellor of State Counsellors of State are senior members of the British royal family to whom the monarch can delegate and revoke royal functions through letters patent under the Great Seal, to prevent delay or difficulty in the dispatch of public business in t ...

and future secretary general of the Élysée under

Raymond Poincaré Raymond Nicolas Landry Poincaré (, ; 20 August 1860 – 15 October 1934) was a French statesman who served as President of France from 1913 to 1920, and three times as Prime Minister of France. Trained in law, Poincaré was elected deputy in 1 ...

, one of Weill's first collectors. *

Gustave Coquiot Gustave Coquiot (24 September 1865 – 6 June 1926) was a French art critic and writer. A collector of paintings by Maurice Utrillo, he also was one of Auguste Rodin's secretaries. Theatre * 1904: ''Deux heures du matin, quartier Marbeuf'' ...

, French writer and art critic, collector of

. * Sergei Shchukin, Russian collector from Moscow. Richardson John, "A Life of Picasso: The Early Years, Vol. I, 1886-1906", Random House, 1991

References

External links

''Berthe Weill Archives"

* ttp://a06.apps.paris.fr/a06/jsp/site/plugins/solr/modules/ods/DoDownload.jsp?id_document=102809 Decision by the Council of Paris to install a "plaque commémorative" at 25, rue Victor Massé {{DEFAULTSORT:Weill, Berthe French art dealers Women art dealers Defunct art museums and galleries in Paris Alsatian Jews 1865 births 1951 deaths