january-2012

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‘Jeff Koons, best known for his playful, provocative pop
art which sells for millions, spends his own money on old
masters such as Poussin and Fragonard’
Thirty-Nine
Below: the Bernheimer gallery
and last year’s exhibition,
Mirella Ricciardi, Vanishing Africa.
Bottom: Th e Glass of Wine by
Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675)
London, Masterpiece (28 June – 4 July), which has replaced the now
defunct Grosvenor House Fair. Konrad is enthusiastic about Masterpiece
as for him London is the number-one city for all art, both historical and
contemporary. ‘London is the only real international metropolis,’ he
insists, ‘and for old masters it is number one and always will be.’
He reminds me that even in a downturn, old masters rarely lose their
value. Indeed, some of modern art’s most high-profi le artists, such as
Lucien Freud, Damien Hirst and George Baselitz, are or were collectors.
Even more surprising is Jeff Koons, best known for his playful, provocative
pop art which sells for millions, who spends his own money on old
masters such as Poussin and Fragonard.
Down the corridor there’s an offi ce that’s very diff erent to Konrad’s
– white, calm and modern. Th is belongs to Blanca Bernheimer, 29, the
only one of Konrad’s four daughters to enter the business. She has
created her own niche with Bernheimer Fine Art Photography and is
making a signifi cant name for herself. Initially Blanca had quite diff erent
career plans. She studied philosophy and literature at King’s College
London, deliberately choosing an English university for its rigour and
coherence. She fl irted with media, journalism, publishing and PR in
London and Germany, but nothing felt quite right. She became involved
with the edgy modern art movement and while living in Berlin in 2004,
was asked to curate two photography shows featuring young artists