Alexander Calder: The Collection of Mr. & Mrs. Klaus G. Perls

Klaus Gunther Perls (1912–2008) was born in Berlin, Germany, where his parents were art dealers. He studied art history in Munich, but after the Nazis came to power moved to Basel, Switzerland and completed his studies. In 1935, Klaus moved to New York and opened the Perls Galleries on East 58th Street near Madison Avenue in New York. Initially, he dealt in works by Maurice Utrillo, Maurice de Vlaminck and Raoul Dufy; After the war, the Perls focused on French art from the School of Paris. They moved their gallery to a town house at 1016 Madison Avenue, near 78th Street, where they lived on the upper floors in 1954. They worked there until 1997. Perls was one of the founders, with Perls, of the Art Dealers Association of America. Perls and Calder were close friends for decades and they had an extensive private collection of Calders.