‘Louis Friedrich Sachse and the making of Berlin as a capital of art’: Der Pionier. Wie Louis Sachse in Berlin den Kunstmarkt erfand by Anna Ahrens, Cologne/Weimar/Wien: Böhlau Verlag, 2017

Abstract

This review discusses the Der Pionier by Anna Ahrens. The book offers a monographic study of Louis Friedrich Sachse, an entrepreneur at the forefront of the Berlin art market. Based on extensive research into the letters of Sachse, Ahrens presents the story of an eager and intelligent man who worked for decades to achieve his goal: to help Berlin establish itself as an art capital in Europe. Sachse’s broad interests led him from lithography to daguerreotype and photography, from collecting drawings and watercolours to starting his own salon for contemporary art. Through the tracing of extensive historical interconnections, Der Pionier offers valuable insights on the connection between artistic reproductions, contemporary art, the development of the art scene in general and the different strata of the Berlin society in the nineteenth century.

Keywords

• Louis Sachse
• Berlin
• art market
• nineteenth century
• lithography
• contemporary art