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he 20th century brought with it many new female art collectors and patrons. They made numerous significant contributions to
the art world and museum narrative, acting as tastemakers to the 20th-century art scene and their society. Many of these women’s
Tcollections served as a foundation for present-day museums. Here are ten art collectors who made a name for themselves within
the art historical narrative:

Helene Kröller-Müller: One of the Netherland’s Finest Art Collectors

The Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands boasts the second-largest collection of van Gogh
works outside of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, as well as being one of the first modern art
museums in Europe. There would be no museum if it were not for the efforts of Helene Kröller-
Müller.
Upon her marriage to Anton Kröller, Helene moved to the Netherlands and was a mother and wife
for over 20 years before she took an active role in the art scene. Evidence suggests her initial motivation
for her art appreciation and collecting was to distinguish herself in Dutch high society, which allegedly
snubbed her for her nouveau riche status.
In 1905 or ‘06 she started taking art classes from Henk Bremmer, a well-known artist, teacher,
and advisor to many art collectors in
the Dutch art scene. It was under his
guidance that she began collecting,
and Bremmer served as her advisor for
more than 20 years.
Kröller-Müller collected contem-
porary and Post-Impressionist Dutch
artists, and developed an appreciation
for van Gogh, collecting approximately
270 paintings and sketches. Though
her initial motivation seems to have
Photo of Helene Kröller-Müller,
via De Hoge Veluwe National Park been to show off her taste, it was clear
in the early stages of her collecting and
letters with Bremmer that she wanted to build a museum to make her art collection
accessible to the public.
When she donated her collection to the State of the Netherlands in 1935,
Kröller-Müller had amassed a collection of nearly 12,000 works of art, showcasing
an impressive array of 20th-century art, including works by artists of the Cubist,
Futurist, and Avant-garde movements, like Picasso, Braque, and Mondrian.

The Ravine by Vincent van Gogh, 1889, via the Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo

Mary Griggs Burke: Collector and Scholar

It was her fascination with her mother’s kimono that started it all. Mary Griggs Burke was a scholar, artist, philanthropist, and art collector.
She accumulated one of the largest collections of East Asian Art in the United States and the largest collection of Japanese art outside of Japan.
Burke developed an appreciation for art early in life; she received art lessons as a child and took courses on art technique and form as a young
woman. Burke began collecting while still in art school when her mother gifted her a Georgia O’Keefe painting, The Black Place No. 1. According
to a biography, the O’Keefe painting greatly influenced her taste in art.
After she married, Mary and her husband traveled to Japan where they collected extensively. Their taste for Japanese art developed over time,
narrowing their focus to form and complete harmonies. The collection contained many excellent examples of Japanese art from every art medium,
from Ukiyo-e woodblock prints, and screens, to ceramics, lacquer, calligraphy, textiles, and more.

24 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles