Vivien Reuter

Vivien Reuter was raised in New York, the daughter of Jewish-Czech refugees from the Nazis. She graduated from Yale University with a degree in German literature and history, followed by a Fulbright scholarship to Heidelberg. For many years, she was active in the Berlin art world, before moving to London and then Paris. A chance encounter in an art gallery in the Rue de Seine set her on the trail of the real Heinz Berggruen. When her biography Heinz Berggruen – Leben & Legende (Ed. Alpenblick, Zurich) appeared in German in 2011, it unleashed a nationwide media storm and was discussed in the German parliament. Her investigation helped motivate the Museum Berggruen finally to research the provenances of the works it displays.