Chefs-d’œuvre de la collection Bemberg

02.03 – 30.05.2021

In the first half of the year 2021, the Fondation de l’Hermitage has the priviledge to show a selection of the greatest masterpieces from the prestigious private collection of Georges Bemberg (1915-2011). Bemberg was an illustrious collector and man of letters, born to a family of German origin who settled in Argentina in the mid-19th century. In the course of his life he built up one of the most important collections of paintings, drawings and objets d’art of his day.

It is the first time that the collection is shown outside the walls of the Fondation Bemberg in Toulouse, due to major works at the mansion where it is usually displayed. The Bemberg collection is notable for the exceptional quality of both its group of paintings and drawings from the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries (Fantin-Latour, Pissarro, Monet, Caillebotte, Morisot, Derain, Braque, Matisse, Modigliani, Bonnard and others) and also for its magnificent works from earlier periods, including masterpieces of German, Flemish, Venetian and French art (Cranach the Elder, Gérard David, Veronese, Canaletto, Longhi, François Clouet, Tournier, Vigée Le Brun and others).

The exhibition at the Fondation de l’Hermitage is featuring 132 of the most remarkable paintings and drawings from the Bemberg collection, offering a unique opportunity to admire these treasures outside their usual setting and to explore the interests and personality of one of the 20^th century’s great collectors.

Exhibition themes
The exhibition covers over five hundred years of art history, arranged in chronological order. It starts with a room dedicated to Flemish and French paintings of the 15^th and 16^th centuries, including works by Gérard David, Isenbrandt, Clouet (François and Jean) and Corneille de Lyon. A magnificent group of Italian paintings from the 16^th, 17^th and 18^th centuries offers visitors the chance to admire portraits and landscapes by artists including Veronese, Tintoretto, Guardi, Canaletto. Another high point of the visit is the display of five panels by Cranach the Elder. The section focusing on works from the earlier periods closes in grand style with a selection of 18^th century masterpieces by Robert, Vigée-Le Brun and Boilly.

The Bemberg collection is equally noteworthy for its important works of 19^th and 20^th century art and the exhibition continues with a remarkable group of paintings by Impressionist (Caillebotte, Sisley, Monet, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec) and neo-Impressionist (Cross, Signac) artists, reflecting Bemberg’s appreciation for these two artistic movements. Another important element of the collection consists of works from the early 20^th century avant-garde, with wonderful drawings (Picasso, Modigliani) and Fauvist paintings by Derain, Braque and Matisse. The exhibition concludes with an extraordinary set of paintings by Bonnard, as the Bemberg collection includes indeed the largest group of Bonnard’s works in private hands, with over thirty paintings.