Wilhelm von Bode and his role in building the Rudolphe Kann Collection: The private correspondence 1887-1905
Abstract
Rudolphe Kann (1844-1905) was a prominent art collector of the late 19th Century, who in the span of over twenty-five years, built one of the most significant private art collections in Europe. This paper is predominantly based on the thorough analysis of previously unpublished correspondence between Rudolphe Kann and his trusted advisor Wilhelm Bode, spanning between the years 1887 and 1905, preserved at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin's Zentralarchiv.
My contribution focuses on exploring Kann's collecting practices, Bode's role as an advisor, taking into account his position as the director of Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum and clarifying the kinds of benefits he sought in return for his advisory services. Furthermore this contribution outlines the circumstances of the sale of Kann's collection to company Duveen in 1907, presented from the perspective of Wilhelm Bode, illustrating the process of negotiating the sale's conditions and further exploring Bode's relationships with the members of the Kann family and with Joseph Duveen, highlighting all acquisition Bode managed to include in the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum following the sale.