Pierre Berès

Pierre Berès (18 June 1913 – 28 July 2008) was a French bookseller and antiquarian book collector.

Life and Career

Born in Stockholm, Sweden with the surname Berestov, he grew up in Paris and attended Lycée Louis-le-Grand. He began as an autograph collector and quickly moved to books. His fast rise in the world of bookselling included liquidating collections of financially unstable French aristocrats and American millionaires, including Mortimer Schiff and Cortlandt F. Bishop.

He opened a New York branch of his bookstore in 1937, and his Paris shop weathered World War II. He befriended Pablo Picasso after the war. Henri Matisse chose Berès' bookstore to exhibit his "Jazz" series of prints. In 1956 he acquired science publisher Éditions Hermann. He was awarded the Legion of Honor.

Rare finds included the manuscript of Louis-Ferdinand Céline's "Voyage au bout de la nuit" and Arthur Rimbaud's "Une Saison en Enfer" inscribed by the author to Paul Verlaine.Grimes, William (August 3, 2008). [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/world/europe/03beres.html Pierre Berès, Tenacious Book Collector, Dies at 95.] "New York Times"]

He retired to Saint-Tropez, where he died.

References