Most of the cognoscenti are aware of the pending sale of a fair amount of the stock in trade of venerable Munich dealer Bernheimer. Trading since 1864, current pater familias Konrad Bernheimer will consolidate a portion of their stock of old master paintings into London based Colnaghi, the equally venerable Bond Street dealer of which he is chairman, with the rest sold- including the family’s castle Bur Marquartstein.
It is impossible to imagine this decision was not arrived at sans a monumental weeping and gnashing of teeth. Purportedly bowing to the desire of Bernheimer’s daughters to limit dealing activities to exclusively contemporary art and photography, it beggars belief that, following the family’s herculean efforts to recover and rebuild their fortunes following the unparalleled predations of World War II, a generational change could accomplish such an effect.
The sad conclusion I’m left with is that the family needed the money, and with the sale of even their family seat, they appear to be, to coin a phrase, tapped out. It will be interesting to follow the fortunes going forward, to judge whether and to what extent the Bernheimer marque will contribute to the contemporary art market.