The Gallery
Located in Old Bond Street in the heart of London’s art market, Colnaghi was one of the first galleries to be established in Europe. Colnaghi specializes in Old Master paintings and drawings from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century, and its clients include museums and collectors from all over the world. The gallery provides an impressive viewing space and a studious atmosphere for all its visitors - collectors, students and academics alike.
In 2002 the Old Master dealers Konrad Bernheimer and Katrin Bellinger joined forces under the umbrella of Colnaghi in London. Both dealers have long-established galleries in Munich which continue to thrive - Bernheimer Fine Old Masters, renowned for Old Master paintings and Katrin Bellinger Kunsthandel specializing in Old Master drawings. This partnership has realized many important acquisitions and sales since its inception and continues to maintain Colnaghi’s reputation as one of the pre-eminent international dealerships in Old Masters.
In 2010, Colnaghi celebrated its 250th anniversary, marking the occasion with a commemorative catalogue, Colnaghi. The History. An exciting new chapter in Colnaghi’s long history opened in 2012 as the gallery moved from the ground floor to the upper floors of 15 Old Bond Street, the building in which it has been based since 1939. The gallery now comprises an elegant suite of rooms that includes several exhibition spaces and houses the famous Colnaghi library (see below). These new premises are more versatile and better suited to doing business in the 21st century, enabling Colnaghi to offer an enhanced bespoke and personal service to their clients.
Under Bernheimer and Bellinger's directorship, Colnaghi is divided into two departments. The Paintings department is headed by Konrad Bernheimer and run by the Director, Tim Warner-Johnson, and Gallery Manager, Sarah Gallagher, with support from Jeremy Howard, part-time Head of Research. Katrin Bellinger oversees the Drawings department, assisted by Livia Schaafsma, the Gallery Manager.
We offer a number of services including:
Specialist advice on building a new collection or developing an existing one
Financial consultations on collecting Old Masters as an investment
Guidance on restoration and framing
Evaluations and appraisals.
Colnaghi exhibits at several international fairs: TEFAF Maastricht; Salon du Dessin, Paris; Masterpiece, London; Highlights, Munich; and Frieze Masters, London. The gallery also particpates in Master Paintings Week, London and Master Drawings London.
One of the Gallery’s greatest treasures is the comprehensive art reference library, which has been on site at 15 Old Bond Street since the gallery moved to these premises over 70 years ago. The Colnaghi Library covers the history of Western art, focusing particularly on paintings, drawings and prints from the Renaissance through to the nineteenth century. Of particular importance is the Library's vast collection of auction catalogues, which extends back to the mid-eighteenth century. This collection is closely linked to the Colnaghi archives, which systematically document the history of the firm, and the works of art which have passed through it since it's founding in 1760.