Brummer Collection

Brothers Joseph, Imre, and Ernest Brummer (1883-1947, 1889-1928, and 1891-1964, respectively) were amongst the most influential art dealers of the early twentieth century, and played significant roles in the formation of major institutional and private collections both in Europe and the United States. After leaving their native Austria-Hungary, they opened their first gallery in Paris in 1906. In 1914, Joseph and Imre moved to New York where they established a second gallery collecting across a variety of fields, from classical antiquities to Modern art; much of their collection was acquired in Europe. Ernest joined Joseph in New York in 1940 and continued dealing following Joseph’s death in 1947 until his own in 1964. Over the next four decades, Ernest’s wife, Ella Laszlo Baché Brummer (1900-1999), continued to disperse the Brummer collection through sale and donation to museums and universities, including the Michael C. Carlos Museum, as well as collating and donating crucial archival material preserving the history of the gallery and the collection. Subsequent donations to the Carlos Museum have been made by the Laszlo-Brummer family.