Hugo Perls
Encyclopedia
Hugo Perls was an international art dealer
, historian, philosopher and notable collector born in Rybnik
in Upper Silesia
. During his lifetime, he witnessed his homeland change from its German
origins to Polish
. He studied law, philosophy, and art history at the University of Freiburg
and in Berlin
. On completion of his studies he joined the German civil service and worked for the Ministry of the Interior prior to serving in the German Foreign Office during World War I
. Perls married his first wife Kaethe in 1910.
, Pablo Picasso
, Claude Monet
, Vincent Van Gogh
, and Paul Cézanne
, among others. A portrait was painted of Perls and his wife Kaethe by Munch in 1913.
In 1931, Perls moved back to Paris
because of the rise of Nazi Germany
. He engaged himself in scholastic activities studying the works of Plato
in their original Greek and also the works of Goethe and Kant
. Following this research he was himself inspired to compose several articles regarding Plato, his philosophy and aesthetics. These pieces were published in a number of French philosophical journals and he went on to give lectures on Plato at the Sorbonne
.
His first book: L'Art et la Beauté vus par Platon was published in 1938 as a result of his scholastic research.
in 1941 during World War II
and lived in Manhattan
, the same year that he married his second wife the Swedish writer Eugénie Söderberg
(1903–1973).
The Perls Galleries in New York
had been established by his eldest son Klaus Perls
in 1937 and during this time Perls may have assisted his son in the acquisition of artwork. In 1939, the Frank Perls Gallery
was opened by his other son in southern California
and Perls briefly lived in Italy
and traveled in Europe
to further study collections of paintings after World War II.
Following World War II and until his death, Perls concentrated on writing and publishing. Most of his works concerned Plato and his philosophy and their conceptual application to the judgment and appreciation of art. His most significant work Platon: sa conception du kosmos was originally published in 1946. This book was republished in German twenty years later and based on Perl's studies, while living in Paris, of Plato's original writings. His published works included the discussion of aesthetics and the relationship between beauty and art although Die Komödie der Wahrheit (The Comedy of Truth) also featured other topics such as German intellectualism and the growth of Antisemitism.
After Perls's wife Eugénie died in New York City
in 1973 he was married for a third time, to writer Monica Schall. Hugo Perls died in New York in 1977.
Art dealer
An art dealer is a person or company that buys and sells works of art. Art dealers' professional associations serve to set high standards for accreditation or membership and to support art exhibitions and shows.-Role:...
, historian, philosopher and notable collector born in Rybnik
Rybnik
Rybnik is a city in southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship. Rybnik is located close to the border with the Czech Republic and just outside the southern border of the largest urban area in Poland, the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union...
in Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
. During his lifetime, he witnessed his homeland change from its German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
origins to Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. He studied law, philosophy, and art history at the University of Freiburg
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...
and in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. On completion of his studies he joined the German civil service and worked for the Ministry of the Interior prior to serving in the German Foreign Office during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Perls married his first wife Kaethe in 1910.
Early career
Perls began collecting artwork in 1914 and was working as a professional art dealer by 1921. He established the Kaethe Perls Gallery in Berlin and collected and sold the works of many famous artists, particularly impressionists, including Edvard MunchEdvard Munch
Edvard Munch was a Norwegian Symbolist painter, printmaker and an important forerunner of expressionist art. His best-known composition, The Scream, is part of a series The Frieze of Life, in which Munch explored the themes of love, fear, death, melancholia, and anxiety.- Childhood :Edvard Munch...
, Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
, Claude Monet
Claude Monet
Claude Monet was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting. . Retrieved 6 January 2007...
, Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
, and Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. Cézanne can be said to form the bridge between late 19th...
, among others. A portrait was painted of Perls and his wife Kaethe by Munch in 1913.
In 1931, Perls moved back to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
because of the rise of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. He engaged himself in scholastic activities studying the works of Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
in their original Greek and also the works of Goethe and Kant
KANT
KANT is a computer algebra system for mathematicians interested in algebraic number theory, performing sophisticated computations in algebraic number fields, in global function fields, and in local fields. KASH is the associated command line interface...
. Following this research he was himself inspired to compose several articles regarding Plato, his philosophy and aesthetics. These pieces were published in a number of French philosophical journals and he went on to give lectures on Plato at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
.
His first book: L'Art et la Beauté vus par Platon was published in 1938 as a result of his scholastic research.
Later life
Perls immigrated to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1941 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and lived in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, the same year that he married his second wife the Swedish writer Eugénie Söderberg
Eugénie Söderberg
Eugenie Söderberg was a Swedish-American writer and journalist born in Heidelberg, Germany noted for her profound concern with women's issues which she addressed in her novels and short stories.-Early years:...
(1903–1973).
The Perls Galleries in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
had been established by his eldest son Klaus Perls
Klaus Perls
Klaus Gunther Perls was born in Berlin, Germany, where his parents were art dealers. He studied art history in Munich, but after the Nazis stopped granting degrees to Jews he moved to Basel, Switzerland and completed his studies...
in 1937 and during this time Perls may have assisted his son in the acquisition of artwork. In 1939, the Frank Perls Gallery
Frank Perls
Frank Richard Perls was a German-born American art dealer who was best known for uncovering a series of fraudulent art works...
was opened by his other son in southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Perls briefly lived in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and traveled in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to further study collections of paintings after World War II.
Following World War II and until his death, Perls concentrated on writing and publishing. Most of his works concerned Plato and his philosophy and their conceptual application to the judgment and appreciation of art. His most significant work Platon: sa conception du kosmos was originally published in 1946. This book was republished in German twenty years later and based on Perl's studies, while living in Paris, of Plato's original writings. His published works included the discussion of aesthetics and the relationship between beauty and art although Die Komödie der Wahrheit (The Comedy of Truth) also featured other topics such as German intellectualism and the growth of Antisemitism.
After Perls's wife Eugénie died in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1973 he was married for a third time, to writer Monica Schall. Hugo Perls died in New York in 1977.