The collection of Hermann Rupf and his wife is considered one of the most important private collections of classic modern art today. Hermann Rupf, a haberdasher born in Bern in 1880, and his wife Margit Rupf-Wirz began to develop their collection in 1907.They purchased their first pictures at this time: paintings by Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso, which today are regarded among the most significant works of early Cubism. It was often the case that they purchased the pieces of their collection in the same year that they were made. The couple was intensely involved in the art of the era they lived in, and their work included the popularization of this art and making it accessible to the public. Hermann Rupf was an art and music critic for the daily paper Berner Tagwacht for over 20 years.
Hermann Rupf formed a life-long friendship with the Parisian art dealer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, becoming one of the gallery owner’s very first clients, and it was with his assistance that Rupf managed to visit Picasso’s studio. At the same time, the Rupf couple was in constant contact with Paul Klee starting in 1913, and supported the artist with purchases of his paintings. Not having any children, the couple established the foundation bearing their name in 1954 with the purpose of preserving and expanding the collection, which is kept at the Kunst museum in Bern. Thanks to acquisitions by the foundation, the collection, which originally counted 300 pieces, has expanded to include 900 works.
Celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, the Hermann und Margit Rupf-Stiftung (Hermann and Margit Rupf Foundation) offers a glimpse into the collection within the framework of an exhibition, curated by Judit Geskó, featuring the most significant pieces contained within, such as the Fauves (Derain, Friesz), the Cubists (Braque, Picasso, Gris and Léger) and works by Paul Klee and Kandinsky.
It is of special interest that it will be the first time that the collection is exhibited in the framework of a traveling exhibition, of which the Museum of Fine Arts is the third site. After the first two exhibitions, in Bern and Grenoble, the Budapest audience will have the opportunity to become acquainted with the most prominent works of the Rupf Collection in the autumn of 2007.
Dates: October 26, 2007 – January 27, 2008
Place: Museum of Fine Arts / Szépmuvészeti Múzeum
1146 Budapest, Dózsa György út 41.
Open: Tue-Sun 10am-5pm
Tel.: +36.1.469.7100
www.szepmuveszeti.hu