Berthe Weill

Berthe Weill (20 November 1865 – 17 April 1951) was a French art dealer in the early 20th century French art market. Weill was Picasso's first art dealer before he switched to Clovis Sagot. She was the first and only female art dealer to promote the avant-garde at the start of the 20th century.

Early life and education 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. 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.

Leaflet for Modigliani'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. "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.

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.