Montreal, a city of many enticements, had conspicuously lacked a major art gallery of international calibre until the summer of 1987 when Landau Fine Art opened to critical acclaim in the gracious row of greystones known as Passage du Musée. The creation of Robert Landau, a dynamic businessman, has focused primarily on the great masters of the early to mid twentieth century such as Picasso, Dubuffet, Léger, Giacometti, Jawlensky, Moore and Van Dongen.
Although the task of finding these works has become progressively more difficult as the world economy has enjoyed buoyant economic times in recent years, Robert and Alice Landau have laboured hard and travelled extensively to acquire the unique and extraordinary works that hang on their gallery walls. The success of their endeavours is reflected in how frequently the gallery is requested by leading international Museums to loan works for major exhibitions and important retrospectives.
In 2002, Robert Landau, who is the only current Canadian member of the prestigious French Syndicat National des Antiquaires, was given the singular honour of being named a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture and Communication, Jean-Jacques Aillagon, following the gallery visit of President and Mrs. Jacques Chirac at Paris’ Biennale des Antiquaires.
At any given moment, the Landau collection includes many historical and influential works of art by the leading artists of the 20th century. Prime examples of Cubist, Post-Impressionist, Fauvist, Futurist and Expressionist art abound. Currently the collection features Les grâces naturelles by René Magritte which was selected by TEFAF for its 2008 poster.