On the death of Heinz Berggruen
Press release from 02/26/2007
Heinz Berggruen has said goodbye. On the evening of 23 February, he passed away peacefully in Paris at the age of 93 - heart failure. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and the National Museums in Berlin received the news of his death with dismay and great sadness. The Museum Berggruen, with its magnificent masterpieces by Picasso, Klee, Matisse and Giacometti, has become one of the most attractive art venues in the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation's network of museums, which has so far captivated well over 1.5 million Berliners and visitors to the city. Klaus-Dieter Lehmann, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, explains: "We owe Heinz Berggruen an immense debt of gratitude. His collection is a legacy and a living obligation for us."
The widow, Bettina Berggruen, informed Lehmann of Heinz Berggruen's express wish to be buried in the Waldfriedhof cemetery in Berlin. As an honorary citizen of the city, he will be given a grave of honour. A book of condolence has been available in the rotunda of the Berggruen Museum (Schlossstrasse 1, Berlin-Charlottenburg, open 10am-6pm, Thursdays until 10pm) since 10am today.
As one of the most important collectors and patrons of the 20th century, Heinz Berggruen sent an unforgettable signal of reconciliation by generously donating his collection to Berlin. He acknowledged his hometown, which he was forced to leave during the National Socialist era. He was just as much at home in New York and Paris as he was in Berlin. Peter-Klaus Schuster, Director General of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin Preußischer Kulturbesitz, remembers: "Conversations with him were always characterised by international vision, Berlin wit and cultivated composure."
Berggruen remained a passionate collector and patron of the arts until shortly before his death. In December last year, he donated Giacometti's important sculpture "The Great Standing Woman" to the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin Preußischer Kulturbesitz, which can be seen in the rotunda of the Berggruen Museum.
With his collection, which has been on display in the Stüler Building opposite Charlottenburg Palace since 1996, Heinz Berggruen has endowed Berlin with an entire museum full of masterpieces of the 20th century: over 160 key works of modern art, including over 80 by Picasso and over 50 by Klee alone, to which he added more in the following years. Berggruen was enthusiastic about the glittering development of the Berlin museums. He loved "his" Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf and especially his museum. He was delighted that his Picasso collection was honoured and celebrated a few months ago during a guest appearance at the Musée Picasso in Paris. At the end of last year, he decided to retire as the active honorary director of his museum. He jokingly and ironically said: "It's no longer like when I was 90."