The ravishing Ronald S. Lauder Collection for public display

The Neue Galerie Neue Galerie New York presents a special exhibition in honor of the 10th anniversary of the founding of the museum. Entitled ‘The Ronald S. Lauder Collection: Selections from the 3rd Century BC to the 20th Century/Germany, Austria, and France’, it encompasses a broad range of masterworks.

Devoted to the captivating collection of its co-founder Ronald Lauder, the show (October 27, 2011, to April 2, 2012) provides a rare glimpse into one of the finest private art collections in the world. It 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, Gerhard Richter and Pablo Picasso. In an accompanying note, Ronald S. Lauder reveals: “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.

“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. 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,” he points out.