Exhibition

The Ronald S. Lauder Collection: Selections from the 3rd Century BC to the 20th Century / Germany, Austria, and France

Oct 27, 2011 — Apr 2, 2012

A special exhibition in honor of the tenth anniversary of the founding of the museum.

Neue Galerie New York presents a very special exhibition in honor of the tenth anniversary of the founding of the museum: “The Ronald S. Lauder Collection: Selections from the 3rd Century BC to the 20th Century/Germany, Austria, and France.”

Devoted to the extraordinary collection of Neue Galerie co-founder Ronald Lauder, the show provides a rare glimpse into one of the finest private art collections in the world. The Ronald S. Lauder collection encompasses a broad range of masterworks.

The tenth anniversary exhibition focuses on six areas: medieval art, arms and armor, Old Master paintings, 19th- and 20th-century drawings, fine and decorative art of Vienna 1900, and modern and contemporary art. Among the artists represented are Joseph Beuys, Constantin Brancusi, Paul Cézanne, Vasily Kandinsky, Anselm Kiefer, Gustav Klimt, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Gerhard Richter.

Ronald Lauder with Gustav Klimt’s “Adele Bloch-Bauer I" (1907) Photograph by Steve Pyke

A Letter from the Founder

Many years ago, I read a book by Pierre Cabanne called The Great Collectors. In his text, Cabanne describes the collector’s impulse as a kind of addiction. I must confess that I have been afflicted with this addiction right from the start. My absolute love for and dedication to collecting art has been one of the guiding passions of my life.

It is impossible for me to imagine my life without my works of art. It is equally impossible for me to imagine this journey without the graceful assistance and tireless dedication of many people. I owe a special debt of gratitude to one of my mentors, the late Serge Sabarsky. In the ten years before Serge died, we shared the dream of one day creating a museum together. Though Serge did not live to see this dream realized, I like to think that what the Neue Galerie has become, with its quality and dedication to excellence, would have fulfilled his expectations and made him happy. I also wish to acknowledge and thank my curator, Elizabeth Szancer Kujawski, and Neue Galerie director Renée Price.

Most private collections are never seen in their entirety during the lifetime of the owner. Although it was not possible to place every item in my collection on display here, the key works in each field are represented. It is my hope that visitors will stroll into the Neue Galerie during this show and be as inspired as I was, such a long time ago in this great city.

Ronald S. Lauder
President, Neue Galerie New York

LEARN MORE

Purchase the Exhibition Catalogue
This special publication was released in conjunction with the Neue Galerie's the tenth anniversary exhibition, and was featured in the New York Times as a top pick "For Art Lovers, Volumes Meant to Awe and Inspire." The catalogue features a preface by Ronald S. Lauder, foreword by Renée Price, and essays by Alessandra Comini, Elizabeth Szancer Kujawski, Stuart Pyhrr, Ann Temkin, Eugene Thaw, Christian Witt-Dörring, and William Wixom

Selected Works

Reliquary Chasse
Limoges, early thirteenth century Copper alloy, gilt; champlevé enamel, oak, paper lining
Private Collection

Bartolomeo Vivarini
(ca. 1432–ca. 1499)
Madonna and Child, ca. 1480-85
Oil and gold leaf on wood panel
Private Collection

Armor for the Field and Tournament, made for the Duke Friedrich Ulrich of Brunswick, Greenwich, 1610-13
Steel, etched, blued, and gilt; leather, textile
Pair of gauntlets lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913
Private Collection

Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas
(1834–1917)
Standing Dancer Fastening Her Sash, ca. 1873
Gouache on paper
Private Collection

Vincent van Gogh
(1853–1890)
Portrait of Joseph Roulin, 1888
Reed pen, brush, ink, and graphite on paper
Private Collection

Paul Cézanne
(1839-1906)
Man with Crossed Arms, ca. 1899
Oil on canvas
The Ronald S. Lauder Collection, New York

Pablo Picasso
(1881–1973)
Woman with a Raven, Paris, 1904
Gouache and pastel on paper
Private Collection
© 2011 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Josef Hoffmann
(1870–1956)
Bonbonnière acquired by Paul Wittgenstein, Vienna, 1905
Execution: Wiener Werkstätte, model no. S 332 (Alfred Mayer)
Silver, onyx
Marks: Vienna hallmark, JH, AM, WW, rose mark
Private Collection

Egon Schiele
(1890–1918)
Mime van Osen, 1910
Watercolor, gouache, and crayon on paper
Private Collection

Constantin Brancusi
(1876–1957)
Mademoiselle Pogany II, 1919
Veined marble on limestone and wood bases
Private Collection
© 2011 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

Anselm Kiefer
(b. 1945)
Elisabeth of Austria, 1988
Lead on photographic paper mounted on wood
Private Collection
© Anselm Kiefer

Gerhard Richter
(b. 1932)
Study for Serial Number 324 (Freud), 1971
Oil on canvas
Private Collection
Image courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
© 2011 Gerhard Richter

Reliquary Chasse Limoges, early thirteenth century Copper alloy, gilt; champlevé enamel, oak, paper lining

Bartolomeo Vivarini Madonna and Child, ca. 1480-85

Armor for the Field and Tournament, made for the Duke Friedrich Ulrich of Brunswick, Greenwich, 1610-13

Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas Standing Dancer Fastening Her Sash, ca. 1873

Vincent van Gogh Portrait of Joseph Roulin, 1888

Paul Cézanne, Man with Crossed Arms, ca. 1899

Pablo Picasso Woman with a Raven, Paris, 1904

Josef Hoffmann Bonbonnière acquired by Paul Wittgenstein, Vienna, 1905

Constantin Brancusi Mademoiselle Pogany II, 1919

Anselm Kiefer Elisabeth of Austria, 1988

Gerhard Richter Study for Serial Number 324 (Freud), 1971