NEWBURY.- A superb array of artworks from the collection of Jan Krugier (1928 – 2008), the Polish born Swiss dealer in modern art, will be offered at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions on 8th March at Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 2JE (10am).

Krugier’s collection features works by an eclectic range of artists dating from the early 20th century up to the early 2000s. It encompasses works from Krugier’s private collection, many personally dedicated and reveals a man of diverse taste and interest from the best of European post-war modernism to Japanese works on paper and tribal art.

Highlights include a group of costume and set designs by Leonor Fini (1907-1996) the Argentine surrealist painter who was quite the art-world ‘it girl’ of her time (Fauconnier, Est: £400-£600 and Scène – Tombée de Rideau, pictured, Est £400-600). An interesting selection of works by the Italian artist Zoran Mušič include paintings from his striking series of cityscapes with La Città [Parigi] (pictured, Est £15,000-20,000) serving as another star lot in the sale this March.

Krugier was born into a Jewish family in Poland in 1928 and, as with so many of his generation, suffered indescribable horrors at the hands of Nazis during the Second World War. The only member of his family to survive he enrolled at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Zurich with the aim of becoming a painter. In 1947 he moved to Paris where he formed a friendship with the artist Alberto Giacometti. With Giacometti’s guidance and encouragement Krugier opened Galerie Krugier & Cie in Geneva in 1962, followed in time by a gallery in New York. For over five decades, the gallery showcased some of the most important artists of the twentieth century, including modern masters such as Picasso, Giacometti, Cezanne, Klee, Chagall and Degas.

To the art world, the name Jan Krugier immediately brings to mind not only an image of an extraordinary individual but also, alongside him, a cast of exceptional artists who saw him as a gallerist and friend. Many of the works from this private collection are inscribed and dedicated to Krugier, providing an insight into the close working relationship between artist and gallerist. Haunted by his early life experiences, art and collecting played a redemptive role in the life of Jan Krugier. His enthusiasm and discerning eye have left a lasting legacy on subsequent generations of collectors and artists.