A two day sale of The Bernheimer Collection will be held at Sotheby’s in London on November 24 and 25. The 539 lots to be offered comprise both treasures from the Bernheimer personal collection and stock from the family business, including objects from Bernheimer Palais, a six-storey high palace on Munich’s Lenbachplatz built by the family’s patriarch Lehmann Bernheimer in 1889. Spanning various collecting categories, including furniture, painting, sculpture, porcelain, and wine, these artworks have been housed mainly in Burg Marquartstein, an 11th-century castle in Bavaria that Konrad Bernheimer especially bought in 1987. As he is about to hand over to the next generation, the celebrated Old Master dealer Konrad Berheimer has decided to sell Burg Marquartstein and part with the collection.
In a separate development Bernheimer, who is chairman of the 255 year old Colnaghi firm in London, has just announced a merger with London and Madrid based fine art dealers Coll & Cortés. Colnaghi will offer European Old Master paintings, sculptures and drawings, as well as art from the Spanish-speaking world. A century after the firm moved from Pall Mall to Mayfair, Colnaghi will return to St. James’s in 2016, moving from Old Bond Street to a larger, custom-built gallery where they will present international Old Master paintings, sculptures and drawings in a fresh context suited to the 21st century.
The Bernheimer business started with a tiny market stall in Munich in the mid-19th century and swiftly grew into the most illustrious antique and interior decoration emporium in the world. Following their deportation to Dachau and the expropriation of the business by the Nazis, part of the family emigrated to Venezuela. They returned after the war to reinvent the business which soon became famous as the “Bloomingdales for Antiques”. The family tradition continues today.
Mario Tavella, Deputy Chairman, Sotheby’s Europe and Head of House Sales and Single Owner Collections, said: “This collection reflects the erudite quest of four generations of art dealers for discovering the best art. It is a huge honour to have been entrusted with this sale”.
Jan Breughel the Elder – Panoramic Landscape with travelers.
Here is a selection from the sale:
Claude Joseph Vernet Moonlit Seascape
Jan Breughel the Younger, Still Life of flowers
Lot 41 – Torchere Lumineuse
The Bernheimer Palace, c 1900.
Lot 13 is a walnut armchair.
