£100m collection of Auschwitz survivor goes on show at Christie’s

Highlights of a £100 million art collection created by a Polish Auschwitz survivor who became an influential dealer go on show in London today prior to auction.

Christie’s is displaying works from the estate of Jan Krugier who died in 2008 aged 80, including a painting, Herbstlandschaft by Wassily Kandinsky with an upper estimate of almost £16 million, and other works ranging from Old Masters to African art.

Mr Krugier, who was born in central Poland, first discovered art in black and white reproductions in the library of his father, a Jewish businessman with a modest collection of French Impressionists.

He survived the horrors of Nazi concentration camps and began a career as a fledgling artist in Paris before Alberto Giacometti persuaded him to consider an alternative career as a dealer.

He became known for breaking with tradition and showing a mix of works alongside each other, from 19th century art to Latin American and African sculpture, and was the first gallery owner to exhibit Pablo Picasso after his death. Francois Curiel, president of Christie’s Asia and a friend, described him as “a charismatic and visionary man, who was confronted with the greatest hardships but was able to transform them into something beautiful, through an exceptional career in the art world”. Conor Jordan, a deputy chairman at the auction house, said Mr Krugier’s gallery was “synonymous with the very best in fine art” while he was “a fabulous collector in his own right”.

Among his triumphs was creating one of the most important groups of drawings in the world by collecting works on paper when they were under-valued.

Works by artists including Joan Miró, Henri Matisse, Giacometti and Picasso are on show at Christie’s King Street headquarters from today until September 19 before sale in New York on November 4 and 5.