Barthold Suermondt

Barthold Suermondt (18 May 1818, Utrecht – 1 March 1887, Aachen) was a German entrepreneur, banker, philanthropist,[1] and art collector, of Dutch-Huguenot heritage.

[1] At that time he founded in Germany a steel company that after a number of name changes in 1870 became known as Rheinische Stahlwerks, where he served as president until 1878.

In 1874 a large part of the Suermondt collection was passed to the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, a purchase headed by Julius Meyer and art historian Wilhelm von Bode funded by a grant of £50,000.

[3] Another portion of his collection, amounting to 105 paintings, was bequeathed to the city of Aachen in 1882, and was instrumental in building up the display of the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum.

[10] Around 1850, he had been portrayed in three-quarter view by Ludwig Knaus; today the work hangs in the foyer of the Suermondt-Ludwig.