The Gallery
The Galerie Sanct Lucas was founded by Carl Herzig in 1919 as a Fine Arts gallery and auction house based in the Palais Pallavicini, a 18th century palace located in the historical center of Vienna, where it remains to this day.
Until the 1930s it operated primarily as an auction house for old master paintings and antiquities under the partnership of Carl Herzig and Fritz Mont. Upon the founder’s death in 1930, Fritz Mont became the managing director and maintained this position until he was forced to flee Austria in 1938. Fritz Mont was one of the pioneers of the transatlantic art trade and was able to continue assisting the gallery in this capacity from abroad.
From 1938 until 1987 Dr. Robert Herzig, the new managing director, was able to further intensify the connections of the gallery to public institutions and private collections around the world.
Roman Herzig
In 1987 his son Roman Carl Herzig became managing director and sole owner of the Galerie Sanct Lucas. He continued the internationalisation of the gallery and is one of the founders of the TEFAF art fair in Maastricht, where the gallery has exhibited since its inception in 1987. Furthermore, the gallery has shown its works at several international art fairs such as Frieze Masters in London, the Salon des Beaux Arts in Paris, La Biennale in Paris, TEFAF in New York and others.
The name Galerie Sanct Lucas has become well known amongst private collectors, public museums and experts for its expertise and insight into the market. Through his experience and profound knowledge, Roman Herzig has access to a number of well-established private and public collections. In 2003 he was honoured with the OscART and in 2006 he was made Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the French Republic.
In recent times the gallery has expanded its gallery program to include modern masters of the 19th century as well as of the early 20th century, in order to engage a larger audience of collectors.