Conversation | Jewish Dealers, Critics, and Collectors as Champions of the Parisian Avant-Garde

Paris, 1901: A makeshift gallery opens in Montmartre run by Berthe Weill, a Jewish woman with a spectacular eye, abundant courage, and little by way of formal education, family money, or social connections. Against all odds, in the face of antisemitism and sexism, Weill became one of the first to exhibit the avant-garde art of Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Amedeo Modigliani among many others.

In this conversation, presented by NYU’s Grey Art Museum, Prof. Charles Dellheim (Boston University) and Prof. Jonathan Karp (Binghamton University) discuss Berthe Weill’s extraordinary life and work, which they situate in the broader context of the Parisian art world at the start of the 20th century. They consider how Jewish outsiders—dealers, collectors, critics, and, not least, artists—came to play pivotal roles in the triumph of modern art and how their sudden rise to prominence engendered a furious antisemitic backlash culminating in Nazi art plunder.

Participants

Born and raised in New York City, Charles Dellheim is Professor of History and Jewish Studies at Boston University and the author of Belonging and Betrayal: How Jews Made Art Modern (2021), which the Times Literary Supplement named as one of the best books of the year. His work has explored varied areas of cultural, social, political, and business history and he has written on subjects ranging from architecture, painting, and company cultures to baseball. Dellheim has held fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Harvard Business School, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Advanced Judaic Studies. He is a contributor to the exhibition’s publication, Berthe Weill: Art Dealer of the Parisian Avant-Garde.

Jonathan Karp is Associate Professor of Judaic Studies and History at Binghamton University of the State University of New York (SUNY). From 2010–2013 he served as executive director of the American Jewish Historical Society. He is the author of The Politics of Jewish Commerce: Economic Thought and Emancipation in Europe (Cambridge, 2008) and has edited or co-edited eight volumes on a wide array of topics, including Beyond Whiteness (2024) and The Cambridge History of Judaism in the Early Modern Period (2017). His forthcoming book is Blacks and Jews in the Business of American Popular Music.

Visitor Access & Registration

This event is at capacity—registration is now closed.

Make Way for Berthe Weill: Art Dealer of the Parisian Avant-Garde will be on view at the Grey Art Museum (18 Cooper Square) from 11 am to 6 pm on October 8.

NYU’s Grey Art Museum provides reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. Requests for accommodations should be submitted at least two weeks in advance. Please email greyartmuseum@nyu.edu or call (212) 998-6780 for assistance.