Sigismund Streit’s generous foundation

To mark the 450th anniversary of the Berlinisches Gymnasium zum Grauen Kloster, the Gemäldegalerie is presenting a special exhibition created in cooperation with the Streit Foundation. Under the title “From the Grand Canal to the Spree. The Streit Foundation for the Grey Monastery”, the picture gallery in Berlin is presenting Sigismund Streit’s extensive collection, which he transferred to a foundation in 1752. The foundation goes back to the Berlin merchant Sigismund Streit (1687-1775), who was active in Venice. He was not only a collector, but also a patron of Venetian artists such as Giovanni Antonio Canal, known as Canaletto, Guiseppe Nogari and Jacopo Amigoni. He bequeathed his valuable art collection to his Berlin grammar school in a generous donation.

The exhibition presents masterpieces of Venetian painting as well as culturally and historically relevant documents and objects from the Streit Foundation. It also sheds light on Streit’s life and work. The connection between the Streit Foundation and Berlin’s oldest grammar school is also explored in detail in the exhibition. The Streit Foundation goes back to the former student of the Grey Monastery, Sigismund Streit. Sigismund Streit was born in 1687, the son of a blacksmith. He attended the Berlin Gymnasium zum Grauen Stein and left in 1701 as an orphan. He then completed an apprenticeship as a merchant with relatives in Altona. After his apprenticeship in 1709, he emigrated to Venice, where he successfully established himself as an independent merchant at the Fondaco dei Tedeschi (Trading Court of the Germans) in 1715. Despite his emigration to Venice, Sigismund Streit always remained loyal and connected to his Berlin school. As early as 1751, he considered setting up a foundation for the benefit of the Gymnasium am Grauen Stein. In 1752, the time had finally come: he set up his first endowment for the Berlin grammar school, and in 1757 he sent books to Berlin, followed in 1758 by his precious paintings by famous contemporary artists from his adopted home of Venice. For decades, he also donated extensive funds to the grammar school, which were used to pay teachers’ salaries, student scholarships, the library extension and grammar school buildings, among other things.
From the 18th century onwards, the collection of the merchant Streit was therefore presented in the school auditorium of the Berlin Gymnasium zum Grauen Kloster (founded in 1574), and in the post-war years the Streit Foundation entrusted its collection of paintings to the Gemäldegalerie Berlin on loan. Sigismund Streit also appeared as a patron. After sending the first part of his collection to Berlin, he also commissioned paintings from famous Venetian artists specifically for his collection. These include, for example, four important Venice vedute by the masterful Canaletto, a cycle of paintings depicting Venetian festivals by an unknown master and an allegorical cycle of paintings on education and upbringing by Guiseppe Nogari. In addition to these extraordinary works, the collection also includes a portrait of Sigismund Streit by the Venetian artist Jacopo Amigoni. By donating these masterpieces, Streit wanted to contribute to bringing the praise and glory of the Republic of Venice, which he revered, to Berlin and the Kingdom of Prussia. Due to the Seven Years’ War, the paintings did not reach the Spree until 1763. One of Streit’s conditions was that he wanted a gallery in the school. Later, the paintings he donated were to decorate the auditorium of the Berlin Gymnasium zum Grauen Stein. As Sigismund Streit died childless, he bequeathed his fortune and his collection to the Berlinisches Gymnasium am Grauen Stein.

The grammar school, founded in 1574, is celebrating “450 years of the Grey Monastery” this year. The Picture Gallery at the Kulturforum is taking this opportunity to present the paintings from Sigismund Streit’s collection again in their historical hanging. A reconstruction of the hanging shows that, as was customary at the time, the paintings were presented tightly packed together in the so-called Petersburg hanging. In addition to Streit’s donation, the portraits of the school directors were also displayed. In 1758, Streit also sent portraits of the Prussian kings Frederick William I and Frederick William II and his wife from Venice, which had been painted by the artist Antoine Pesne. The special exhibition is complemented by objects from the Streit Foundation’s collection, including many documents that shed light on the founder’s life. Objects from the collections of the Berlinisches Gymnasium zum Grauen Stein as well as numerous loans from the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and external lenders complement and expand the fine exhibition. Particular attention is paid to the fact that the works and documents not only shed light on the life and work of Sigismund Streit, but also on his foundation as part of the school’s history.

The exhibition “From the Grand Canal to the Spree. The Streit Foundation for the Grey Monastery” is a curatorial collaboration between guest curator Susanne Knackmuß (Streit Foundation) and Sarah Salomon, curator of 18th century European painting and 17th century German painting at the Gemäldegalerie. The exhibition takes place from June 28 to September 29, 2024 and is a special presentation of the Gemäldegalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin in cooperation with the Streitsche Stiftung.

From the Grand Canal to the Spree
The Streit Foundation for the Grey Monastery
June 28 to September 29, 2024
Kulturform, Picture Gallery
Matthäikirchplatz, 10785 Berlin
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.