Neue Galerie – Early 20th Century German and Austrian Art & Design
One of the most glorious remaining Gilded Age mansions still standing in New York City is currently home to the Neue Galerie. The building was completed in 1914 by Carrere & Hastings, the same architect for the New York Public Library, for industrialist William Starr Miller. Only a few years prior to the completion of this grand mansion, one of the most iconic works of Gustav Klimt was painted, entitled Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer or The Woman in Gold. Today that famous work, alongside other renowned German and Austrian artists from the early 20th century, can be admired and studied in the same space that was also once home to the last great hostess of the Gilded Age, Grace Vanderbilt.
The Neue Galerie opened on November 16, 2001, following restoration work by architect Annabelle Selldorf. The Neue Galerie was inspired by the great art collector and dealer of 20th century art, Serge Sabarsky, as well as Ronald Lauder, businessman, philanthropist, and heir of the Estee Lauder cosmetics company. Sabarsky was born in Vienna, but fled first to Paris and then New York City during the war. He worked as an architectural designer before opening a gallery for Austrian and German Expressionist art. Lauder had already amassed an impressive collection of art prior to opening the Neue Galerie, but when Sabarsky died in 1996, Lauder wanted to open a new gallery which would feature his private collection, as well as pieces of Sabarsky’s collection. They both shared a passion for Modern German and Austrian Art.
The interior spaces of the gallery are the perfect setting for the collection of the Neue Galerie. On exhibit now through May 2025 are the Masterworks from the Neue Galerie, including the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, by Klimt. Visitors can see works from the period between 1890 and 1940 by Gustav Klimt, of course, Egon Schiele, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Oskar Kokoschka, to name a few. While many of the most famous paintings and art works are regularly on display, this coming October there will be a special exhibition of Egon Schiele: Living Landscapes. Although known primarily for his portraits, this exhibition focuses on his talents as a landscape painter. As a part of the Neue Galerie lecture series, you can register in advance to attend an upcoming lecture, with artists offering more in-depth information about the artist and their work.
The café at the Neue Galerie, Café Sabarsky, is as beautiful as the artwork throughout the gallery, with design inspired from the great Viennese cafes where artists and intellectuals would gather at the turn of the century. The menu is an homage to Sabarsky and offers the best Austrian dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The café is transformed into a cabaret venue some evenings, with past guests that have included Ute Lemper, Sanda Weigl, and Valerie Sajdik. The fall cabaret artists have not yet been announced, but I look forward to seeing who may be performing next.
The Neue Galerie became even more present in the minds of movie lovers when the film Woman in Gold was released in 2015. Ronald Lauder had a fascination with the painting decades before he was able to buy the painting for the Neue Galerie in 2006, for a record $135 million. The movie dramatically tells the story of the origin of the painting, and the lengthy legal battle to get the artwork returned to the rightful owner. It certainly gives any visitor to the Neue Galerie a bit more background on this particular artist, and hopefully it will inspire us all to spend a little more time to get familiar with the history of these artists, and their impact and influence on the art world.
