1875 - 2025
Galerie Kraemer
celebrates Its 150th Anniversary!
| | Works of Art and Remarkable Figures Through the Ages
Very often, visitors who step through the doors of Galerie Kraemer leave with a shared passion.
The world has changed over the gallery’s 150 years of existence, time has sped up, but one thing remains unchanged: the spark of love at first sight.
| | | | | Jayne Wrightsman, the MET, and the Kraemers: An Inspiring Story of Transmission.
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Jayne Wrightsman in front of her desk.
Photo by Horst P. Horst. ©Vogue | | Jayne Wrightsman (1919–2019) was an American philanthropist and art collector, a prominent figure of New York high society.
A major American patron and passionate admirer of French decorative arts, she left a lasting legacy at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through her extraordinary gifts.
| | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York.
| | The Example of
Joseph Baumhauer’s Desk
and Its Cartonnier
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Jayne Wrightsman contributed to the remarkable journey of this desk and its cartonnier, created by Joseph Baumhauer, which she acquired from Galerie Kraemer. | | The curved writing table by Joseph Baumhauer circa 1770 and acquired by Jayne Wrightsman from Galerie Kraemer.
| | This desk with its rounded outlines, featuring three drawers on the front, accompanied by its cartonnier, was crafted circa 1770 by Joseph Baumhauer, cabinetmaker to King Louis XV, and was acquired by Mrs. Wrightsman from Galerie Kraemer.
She used it personally before making a donation to the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET).
| | Exceptionally elaborate, the desk features a curved shape not only at the front and back, but also along the sides.
| | Typically, cartonniers were placed at one end of the desk, not in the center as in this example.
Beyond their decorative appeal, the primary purpose of a cartonnier is to store and organize papers, letters, and important documents.
It is still used today as a functional storage system to complement a desk.
| | The desk and its cartonnier at the MET:
a masterpiece of floral marquetry, it stands out for its curved form—particularly rare for a writing desk—and for the exceptional quality of its finely gilded and chased bronze mounts.
| | A Desk and Cartonnier Once Separated, Then Reunited Over Time
Unlike paintings, it is rare to be able to reconstruct the history of a piece of furniture.
The ensemble once belonged to Lord Balfour.
Arthur James Balfour was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the Conservative Party. Highly respected, he his also renowned for his role as Foreign Secretary during World War I.
Later, between the two World Wars, both pieces were acquired by Galerie Kraemer.
They were notably exhibited at the International Exhibition in Amsterdam in 1936.
| | | | | The desk and its cartonnier at the Amsterdam Exhibition in 1936.
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During World War II, while the Kraemer family was forced to flee, the desk and cartonnier miraculously found refuge at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, while the gallery’s entire stock was looted by the Nazis on September 4, 1942. | | On September 4, 1942, the Kraemer family's townhouse was looted by the Nazis.
Here, a crate marked "KRA" can be seen in the Cour Carrée of the Louvre Museum.
| | After the war, the family—largely having survived—recovered the desk and its cartonnier, which returned to the Gallery and were once again displayed for visitors and clients.
They caught the attention of many art enthusiasts, including a decorator who once came in specifically looking for a “curved desk.”
We assumed a previous visitor had told him about this one, so we showed it to him.
But in the end, he didn’t find it curved enough!
In truth, we don’t know of any other pieces with a curved shape quite like this one.
| | Philippe Kraemer, Rue de Monceau, in the 1960s.
| | Philippe Kraemer
and Jayne Wrightsman…
| | This desk, along with its cartonnier, was eventually acquired by a collector.
Later, in the 1960s, it was once again purchased by our Gallery.
It was at that time that it caught the attention of Jayne Wrightsman—a charming woman and a major patron of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Mrs. Wrightsman stopped by the house one day, as she did nearly every time she visited Paris.
She immediately noticed this superb curved desk, something truly out of the ordinary.
The desk came with its matching cartonnier, also slightly curved, featuring two mesh-paneled doors, a molded cornice at the top, and resting on four small feet. It was placed on the leather surface of the desk.
A truly rare ensemble.
While thinking, she imagines where she could place it in her homes in New York, London, or Palm Beach, but she tells us that there was a collection of porcelain birds set on gilded wooden wall brackets, on the wall above where she intended to put it.
She asks Philippe, “Is it possible to buy the desk alone, without the filing cabinet?”
Philippe replied that, for her, of course, it would be possible.
You simply can’t refuse Jane anything…
| | Jayne Wrightsman in front of her desk.
Photo by Horst P. Horst. ©Vogue
| | Among the Many Works of Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York That Came from Galerie Kraemer.
| | A few years later, when Jayne Wrightsman decided to donate the desk to the MET, she asked whether, by any chance, Galerie Kraemer still had that famous cartonnier.
We told her that, of course, we had carefully kept it in storage—without ever mentioning it to anyone and without the slightest intention of selling it to someone else.
Philippe especially told Jayne Wrightsman that we had always planned to one day donate it ourselves to the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York, as we had imagined the desk would eventually find its home in that beautiful museum.
Jayne Wrightsman expressed her wish to make the donation herself nonetheless, and warmly thanked us—because the gallery then let her have it for a symbolic price.
And so, these two exceptional pieces, created by Joseph Baumhauer, separated for many years, were once again reunited in one of the main rooms of the Metropolitan Museum in New York—accompanied by a beautiful painted wood desk chair, which also came from Galerie Kraemer.
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The desk and its cartonnier at the MET, as well as the desk armchair also coming from our gallery.
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Jayne Wrightsman in the 1960s.
Photo by Cecil Beaton / Vogue © Condé Nast | | Jayne Wrightsman, elegant and refined, would regularly visit us during each of her stays in Paris—always with great kindness—as she expanded her collection.
She even purchased an apartment in London, just above her own, mainly so she wouldn’t be limited by space and could continue acquiring even more works of art.
Together with her husband, Charles B. Wrightsman, Jayne was one of the most generous donors to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Her passion for art enriched her life.
Born in Michigan and raised in Los Angeles, she became—after marrying oil magnate Charles Wrightsman at the age of 24—a major collector of European decorative arts from the Ancien Régime.
Thanks to their love for 18th-century decorative arts, their remarkable collection, and their philanthropy, the Wrightsman name will live on for generations to come.
| | Jayne Wrightsman in the 1960's.
Photo by Cecil Beaton / Vogue @ Condé Nast.
| | Even today, contemporary figures continue to embody the spirit of Jayne.
Collectors buy for themselves and their families, and then donate major works to museums, thereby keeping the French heritage alive around the world.
The story of Joseph Baumhauer’s desk purchased by Jayne Wrightsman is more than just an anecdote about an antique—it’s a modern parable about the value of cultural sharing.
By revisiting this tale, we’re reminded that every work of art has the power to bridge eras and continents, so long as passionate individuals act as its stewards.
In the past, a Parisian antiques dealer and an American collector saved and elevated a treasure from history, bringing it to the world’s attention.
Today, this momentum continues in France and around the world, whether through a simple donation, a patron offering a new gallery to a museum, a company supporting the restoration of a monument, or an international partnership allowing a masterpiece to reach new audiences.
Following in the footsteps of Jayne Wrightsman, today’s great collectors include, among many others, Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Arnault (Fondation Vuitton), Mr. and Mrs. François Pinault (Bourse de Commerce), the Houzé family (Lafayette Anticipations), the Cartier Foundation, and the Emerige Foundation (Laurent Dumas). Internationally, this passion for collecting is shared by families such as the Lauders, the Rales (Glenstone), the Broads, the Schwarzmans, the Brants, the Guggenheims, the Niarchos, the Onassis family, the Ambanis, and Mr. Kenneth Griffin, to cite only a few ones.
Thanks to these devoted art lovers, a great number of collections are taking shape! We also respect the discretion of those who prefer to remain out of the spotlight but who may, one day, donate their collections or establish a museum or foundation.
| | | | | Since 1875, Kraemer has been imparting
its taste for beauty and rarity to collectors all over the planet.
Visit our Private Mansion and let yourself be guided by the spirit of the Kraemer family.
Open to all, the Gallery at 43 rue de Monceau can be explored through their lounges where the passion for Art is shared with an entire family.
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