Bernhard Koehler

Bernhard Koehler (1849–1927) was a German industrialist and art collector from Berlin. Born into a merchant family, he founded the Mechanische Werkstätten in Berlin-Kreuzberg in 1876, which brought him significant wealth. Beyond his business ventures, Koehler became a prominent art patron, particularly supporting early 20th-century German artists. Through his niece Elisabeth Gerhardt, who later married August Macke, Koehler connected with Munich-based painters like Macke and Franz Marc. He financially supported both artists, providing Macke with 300 francs for a Paris trip and giving Marc a monthly stipend of 200 marks starting in 1910. In exchange, he received several paintings from them.

Koehler also backed the Neue Künstlervereinigung München and financed publications like Der Blaue Reiter almanach and the Erster Deutscher Herbstsalon in Berlin in 1913. During World War I, he continued his patronage, aiding Marc’s 1914 trip to Tunis. Koehler’s art collection, housed in his Berlin family home, included works by Macke, Marc, and others. After his death in 1927, his son Bernhard inherited the collection. Some pieces were sold in the late 1920s, while others were lost during World War II when the family home and factory were destroyed. A portion of the collection was loaned to the Nationalgalerie during the war and later taken to Russia. Today, some of Koehler’s artworks are held at the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus in Munich.