Matisse, Picasso, Klee

In his lifetime, Heinz Berggruen (1914-2007) amassed one of the finest collections of modern art held by a private individual. Across 40 years, Berggruen assembled a collection that reflected his personal tastes and his friendships with artists – including Pablo Picasso – and which stood in opposition to the fascist state of Nazi Germany from which he fled in 1936.

At the heart of his collection are vibrant cut-outs by Henri Matisse, elongated and gaunt sculptures by Alberto Giacometti, and masterworks by Pablo Picasso and Paul Klee which span their entire careers.

Berggruen was committed to these artists. He represented them in his post-war Parisian gallery and ended up becoming “his best client”, collecting for himself the landscapes, still lifes and portraits that he felt represented the innovation, beauty and spirit of the European art scene in the second half of the 20th century.

For a short time, Berggruen's enviable collection of exceptional but rarely seen modern masterpieces will be on display in Piccadilly.

Exhibition organised by the Royal Academy of Arts, London in collaboration with the Museum Berggruen, Neue Nationalgalerie, Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin.

Our Friends preview days take place 17 November, 10am–6pm and 18 November, 10am–6pm.