Born: 1904 München-Gladbach (now Mönchengladbach), Germany
Died: 1987 Paris, France
Year of Migration to the UK: 1937
Biography
Art dealer Max Stern was born in München-Gladbach (now Mönchengladbach), Germany on 18 April 1904. His father, Julius Stern, a textile manufacturer and art collector, founded Galerie Julius Stern in 1913, specialising in Dutch Old Master paintings. The young Stern grew up immersed in this rich cultural environment, fostering his deep appreciation for the arts. He then studied art history in Berlin and Vienna, ultimately earning a PhD from the University of Bonn in 1928. Following his graduation, he joined his father’s gallery and worked closely with him until Julius’s death in 1934. Max inherited the Galerie Stern during a time of escalating turmoil as the Nazi regime's anti-Semitic policies soon affected the business. In August 1935, he was officially barred from conducting business as a Jewish art dealer, and legal appeals proved futile. Aware of his precarious position, Stern began planning his escape. 1936, he arranged for his sister Hedi and friend Cornelis van de Wetering to establish West’s Galleries in London. Despite this initial attempt to secure a future outside Germany, he remained in Düsseldorf to manage the liquidation of his family’s assets. In 1937, under immense pressure from the Reich Chamber for the Fine Arts, he was forced to sell over 200 artworks through Lempertz auctioneers at the notorious Auktion 392. This sales was one of the so-called ‘Jewish auctions,’ with items fetching a fraction of their true value. In 1939, his German citizenship was revoked, enabling the Nazi authorities to 'aryanise' and confiscate any of his remaining property in Germany.
In December 1937, Stern fled Germany, joining his sister Hedi in London, where he collaborated with her and van de Wetering to fully establish West’s Galleries at 43 Duke Street, St James's. The gallery, named by combining the first letters of their surnames, focused on Old Master paintings and academic works. During its operation, West's Galleries held several exhibitions, including Old Masters of the Continental Schools (1939), Dutch and Flemish Masters of the 16th and 17th Centuries (1940. 1939), and Dutch and Flemish Portraits and Genre-pictures of the 16th and 17th Centuries (1940). Although this offered a brief hope for restarting Stern’s career, the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 drastically changed his circumstances. In 1940, Stern’s London flat was destroyed during an air raid, resulting in the loss of family portraits and valuable records from Galerie Julius Stern. The British government, viewing German nationals as potential threats, interned Stern as an ‘enemy alien’ on the Isle of Man in 1940. Life in internment was difficult but not devoid of intellectual pursuits. Stern, known for his resilience and scholarly background, held art history lectures for his fellow internees. He volunteered for transfer to Canada, believing that being in North America would position him better to assist his family and rebuild his life away from Europe’s conflict zones.
Transferred to a Canadian internment camp on 2 January 1941, Stern spent almost two years in New Brunswick and Quebec doing hard labour such as logging. Despite this, he maintained hope by sharing his knowledge. In 1941, he was released thanks to William Birks, a Montreal businessman who opposed Canada’s restrictive, anti-Semitic policies. Birks helped Stern settle in Montreal, where he returned to art after considering aviation manufacturing. At the time, local galleries prioritised European works, but Stern’s vision at the Dominion Gallery, founded by Rose Millman, shifted the focus. As managing director in 1942, he showcased contemporary Canadian artists, including Goodridge Roberts, Jean-Paul Riopelle, and Emily Carr. His 1944 exhibition of Carr’s 60 works in Montreal was a commercial success, boosting Carr’s profile and establishing Stern as an influential dealer. By 1944, Stern had become a partner in the gallery, introducing innovative practices, such as artist retainers to secure income and loyalty. The gallery’s move to Sherbrooke Street in 1950 solidified its status. Stern’s collection spanned European Old Masters and modern art, featuring Picasso, Braque, Kandinsky, and sculptures by Henry Moore and Auguste Rodin, which later gained significant value.
Despite his success in Canada, Stern never abandoned the pursuit of justice for his losses in Germany. After the war, he sought the return of works he had left in Cologne, liaising with influential figures such as Lester B. Pearson. Although postwar legislation limited restitution efforts to looted rather than forced-sale works, Stern persevered, laying the groundwork for future recovery initiatives. Stern died in Paris, France, on 28 May 1987 during a business trip and bequeathed his estate to Concordia University, McGill University, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 2002, these institutions initiated the Max Stern Art Restitution Project, dedicated to reclaiming the works Stern had been compelled to sell under Nazi pressure. To date, over 30 paintings have been recovered, reflecting Stern’s enduring influence and the quest for justice that defined both his life and legacy. In 2007 Ben Uri hosted Auktion 392: Reclaiming the Galerie Stern, Düsseldorf which reconstructed Lempertz's forced sale of the Galerie's extensive stock with many images of the featured works. In 2021-22, the exhibition Deprived of Rights and Property. The Art Dealer Max Stern, focusing on the life and legacy of Stern, was held at Düsseldorf's Stadtmuseum and, in summer 2024, Stern featured in Ben Uri's exhibition, Cosmopolis: The Impact of Refugee Art Dealers in London.
Related books
- Kim Bureš-Kremser, Deprived of Rights and Property - The Art Dealer Max Stern (Köln: Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König, 2021)
- ‘Masterpieces of Painting and Craftsmanship’, Illustrated London News, 06 January 1940, p. 29
Related organisations
- West's Gallery (founder)
- Dominion Gallery (founder)
- Bonn University (student)
Related web links
- Auktion 392 at Ben Uri
- Ben Uri archives
- Brenda Haas, ‘Controversial Max Stern Art Exhibition Starts’, 31 August 2021
- Catherine Hickley, ‘Dusseldorf Settles with Jewish Dealer’s Heirs on Portrait That Hung in Mayor's Office’, The Art Newspaper
- Cosmopolis exhibition
- Exhibition catalogue of Old Masters of the Continental Schools, West's Galleries, London, 1939
- Max Stern Art Restitution Project
- Max Stern fonds in the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives
- McGill University’s exhibition showcasing highlights from Dr. Max Stern's library, 2003
- Recovered Works from the Stern Collection, New York State Department of Financial Services
Selected exhibitions
- Cosmopolis: The Impact of Refugee Art Dealers in London, Ben Uri Gallery and Museum, London (2024)
- Auktion 392: Reclaiming the Galerie Stern, Düsseldorf, Ben Uri: The London Jewish Museum of Art, London (2007)
- Dutch and Flemish Masters of the 16th and 17th Centuries, West's Galleries, London (1940)
- Dutch and Flemish Portraits and Genre-pictures of the 16th and 17th Centuries, West's Galleries, London (1940)
- Old Masters of the Continental Schools, West's Galleries, London (1939)
- Dutch and Flemish Masters of the 16th and 17th Centuries, West's Galleries, London (1939)
