Yo fui mi mejor cliente

by Heinz Berggruen, Marc Jiménez Buzzi (translator)

In these memoirs Heinz Berggruen, one of the most successful art dealers and collectors in Europe, recalls his encounters with the greatest artists of the century, particularly its leading geniuses Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. His memoirs provide a fascinating account of the artists and collectors who formed the colourful world of post-war Parisian their vanities great and small, their discord and rivalries, unfulfilled wishes and late triumphs. Berggruen went on to form one of the greatest art collections of this century centred on his exceptional holding of works by Picasso. Determined to communicate his pleasure in twentieth century art to a broad audience, he has now put his collection on display in a magnificent museum in Berlin, which has fast become a shrine for modern art lovers from all over the world. In his foreword, he writes how he chose the “Highway and Byways is one of Paul Klee’s most beautiful paintings. For many years it was part of a private collection in the Rheinland. It is now hanging at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne. Even as a young man I loved Klee. He was the first painter whose works occupied me intensely; he had a decisive influence on my career as a collector and dealer. I originally chose the title of one of Klee’s paintings for my memoirs in homage to him, not only because of my reverence for Klee, but also because I saw Highway and Byways as a code, a condensed expression of everything I intended to relate in this book.”

Genres: Art

292 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1999

Reviews

[Lici · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me quiet a while to finish this book. He was a really good journalist and writer and the articles that are included in this book are very enjoyable to read. The rest is sometimes long-winded. Some capitals of this book were just pointless to me. I think it is worth reading but if you expect a humorous biography full of exciting stories then you will get very disappointed. His life story is unusual and the historical context is interesting but the writing style is just not for me.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unexpectedly enjoyable read, which I now consider a must literary supplement for anyone who is even remotely interested in modern art.
I of course happened to be reading the English translation as I don't speak German! And that one, by the Pilkington Press, is of exceptionally high printing quality, with nice and heavy glossy paper and excellent prints of the artworks, something that is rare to come by these days.
Berggruen's life memoirs are full of anecdotes from his brush with some of the most famous artists of the 20th century, incl. Picasso, Klee, Rivera, Kahlo, Matisse, Tzara, Man Ray, even Simone Signoret (so not just painters!).
As an art dealer and avid collector of Picasso especially, he has an undiluted and genuine enthusiasm for modern art, which he manages to convey to the reader.
And he seems like a genuinely likeable and down to earth character, who enjoys the artistic creation for its own sake, and invites us into his world and his musee imaginaire (as he calls his art collection) in the most compelling of ways.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The very subjective autobiographic account of the life of an art dealer and collector. I am interesting to find out more about Mr. Berggruen in Vivien Stein's book.

[Manfred · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read for everyone interested in art of the 20th century (Picasso, Matisse, Cezanne, Guggenheim).
Also informative: Spies, Mein Glück. Not so detailed or systematic.