Berthe Weill

Esther Berthe Weill was born on November 20, 1865, in the 1st arrondissement of Paris to Jeanny Lévy, a seamstress, and Salomon Weill, a textile trader. Born into a lower-middle-class Alsatian Jewish family, Weill was the fifth of seven children. She attended school until the age of 10. == Career ==

Apprenticeship As a teenager in the 1880s, Weill began an apprenticeship at Salvador Mayer's antique shop on Rue Laffitte. During her apprenticeship, Weill was introduced to the art critic Claude Roger-Marx, through whom she developed an interest in the work of emerging painters. 's only one‑man exhibition, held at Galerie Berthe Weill in 1917. The exhibition was closed by the police on the grounds of nudity. On 1 December 1901, Weill used part of her dowry to open "Galerie B. Weill" at 25 Rue Victor‑Massé, calling it "a place for the young". In 1933, Weill published her memoirs, an account of thirty years as an art dealer. In 1941, Weill closed her gallery amidst rising antisemitism and the outbreak of World War II. In 1946, several painters whose work she had promoted organized an auction of donated artworks, with the proceeds used to support her in later life. An estimated ₣1.5 million was raised (equivalent to $147,000 in 2025), which supported Weill until her death. In 1948, the Republic of France recognized her as a Chevalier of the ''Légion d'honneur'' for her contribution to modern art. == Death ==

Weill died at the age of 85 on April 17, 1951 in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. ==Artists==

Weill's gallery included works by artists such as Raoul Dufy, André Derain, Maurice de Vlaminck, Diego Rivera, Georges Braque, Kees van Dongen, Maurice Utrillo, Pablo Picasso, François Zdenek Eberl, and Jean Metzinger. She supported the early exposure and sales of female painters such as Suzanne Valadon, Emilie Charmy and Jacqueline Marval. "Of the nearly 400 exhibitions she mounted, one third included works of art by women artists," wrote the New York Times in 2024. Her gallery also included works by Picasso, Matisse, Jeanne (Jane) Rosoy, Derain, Vlaminck, Marquet, Manguin, Camoin, Raoul Dufy, Diego Rivera, Braque, Friesz, van Dongen, Utrillo, Jean Puy, Metzinger, Odette Des Garets, Modigliani, Rouault, Marie Laurencin, Suzanne Valadon, Emilie Charmy, Kisling, Flandrin, Léger, Pascin, Georges Kars and Émilie Charmy. ==Collectors==

• Adolphe Brisson, literary critic for Le Temps. Picasso's first sales in Paris were three pastels on canvas depicting bullfighting scenes, which Weill sold to Brisson in 1900. • Arthur Huc, Director of La Dépêche de Toulouse. Weill sold Le Moulin de la Galette (1900) to Arthur Huc. According to John Richardson, Huc was "one of the most progressive collectors of the day". Later, this painting was bought by Justin Thannhauser, who donated it to the Guggenheim Museum (NY). == Legacy ==

An exhibition on Weill's legacy, Make Way for Berthe Weill: Art Dealer of the Parisian Avant-Garde, was on display at New York University's Grey Art Museum from October 1, 2024 – March 1, 2025. The exhibit was accompanied by a catalog by Lynn Gumpert, Marianne Le Morvan, Anne Grace, Stéphane Aquin, Claire Bernardi, Robert Parker, Charles Dellheim, Sophie Eloy, Kirsten Pai Buick, and Ambre Gauthier (). In 2007, Picasso's portrait of Weill (1920) was designated a French national treasure. and a compilation of her gallery exhibitions was also released; in 2011, Marianne Le Morvan published the first study dedicated to her life and dealership. In February 2012, the City of Paris placed a memorial plaque at 25 Rue Victor Massé, where Weill opened her first gallery in 1900. == References ==