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NYU’s Grey Art Museum Celebrates the First Art Dealer to Focus Solely on Emerging Artists

New York University’s Grey Art Museum presents Make Way for Berthe Weill: Art Dealer of the Parisian Avant-Garde, featuring works by modern artists championed by a dealer who remains relatively unknown. Weill (pronounced “vay”) was the first dealer to purchase works by Pablo Picasso in 1901, and she promoted Henri Matisse and Amedeo Modigliani, among many others. Yet her role in early 20th century modernism has been omitted from most historical accounts. This landmark exhibition sets the record straight. On view from October 1, 2024 to March 1, 2025, the groundbreaking show is the second at the museum’s new and expanded galleries at 18 Cooper Square.

Some 110 paintings, drawings, prints, and sculpture by modern giants such as Picasso, Matisse, Aristide Maillol, Fernand Léger, and Raoul Dufy are featured alongside works by less well-known artists. Together they create a compelling portrait of Weill (1865–1951), who operated her gallery for four decades in four different Parisian locations and was the first to promote work created exclusively by emerging artists. The exhibition highlights Weill’s influence and examines the sexism, anti-Semitism, and economic struggles she faced as she advocated for cutting-edge contemporary art in a competitive Parisian art market.

Organized by NYU’s Grey Art Museum, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris, Make Way for Berthe Weill also features paintings by Suzanne Valadon, Émilie Charmy, and Alice Halicka, to name a few among the many female artists Weill promoted. Also included are works by Marc Chagall, André Derain, and Diego Rivera, whose first solo show took place at the Galerie B. Weill.

“This exhibition spotlights the remarkable story of an indomitable woman who maintained a gallery in Paris, the art capital of the world, from 1901 to 1941,” says Lynn Gumpert, director of the Grey Art Museum and one of the curators of the exhibition. “Weill sought out unproven artists, some of whom became household names and some of whom didn’t. But all benefited from her creativity, ingenuity, and passion.”

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