Vancouver, written October 8th, 2024 – Uno Langmann, born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on September 6th, 1935, immigrated to Canada with just a duffel bag and a passion for building a new life at age 19. Arriving a decade after World War II, he sought stability in a time when Europe was shadowed by the Cold War. Uno began working in construction, contributing to the building of places like the Vancouver Playhouse and three buildings at Simon Fraser University, before his transition into the world of fine arts.
In 1968, Uno opened The Cedar Cottage, his first gallery, which later evolved through a partnership with Dr. L. Patrick into The Tappit Hen and The Tappit Two. By 1971, he had moved the gallery into the historic Century House on Richards Street, and in 1977, he relocated to the current address at 2117 Granville Street after a thorough renovation. This location remains the home of Uno Langmann Limited, where Uno lives above the gallery with his wife Dianne. He divides his time between his Vancouver residence and Bowen Island. His home is modeled after a traditional farmhouse he discovered in the Maihaugen Open Air Museum in Lillehammer, Norway. After extensive searches across Sweden and Norway, Langmann was captivated by this design and obtained the blueprints to recreate the charming architecture.
On the left is the original farm house built in 1810 in Norway. On the right is the Canadian version of the same farmhouse, using the blueprints from the original building, on Bowen Island, the residence of Uno and his wife, Dianne. The picture below shows the farm house on Bowen Island in the snow.
Throughout the years, Uno built a gallery known for its collection of European and Canadian art. He has offered paintings from German artists, such as notable German artist Emil Nolde, whose works bore historical significance during the Nazi regime’s “Degenerate Art” exhibition. He has also exhibited works from artists like Johann Georg Meyer von Bremen and Felix Schlesinger, whose detailed genre paintings have captivated collectors.
Jeanette Langmann, his second child, showed an early interest in the art world and joined him in running the gallery, offering continuity to his vision. Jeanette’s background in Art History and her upbringing immersed in the gallery environment since the tender age of 8 have made her an integral part of the business. His other children have all settled somewhere within BC and he has 9 grandchildren. His children and grandchildren all appreciate art, but not enough to make a living with it, except for Jeanette.
In addition to running the gallery, Uno’s achievements include establishing Sotheby Parke Bernet in Vancouver in 1979 and organizing the city’s first Sotheby’s auction. His contributions to the art and antique trade have been recognized with numerous accolades, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Art Dealers Association of Canada and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of British Columbia. He has served in leadership roles within the Canadian Antique Dealers Association and is a member of the Art Dealers Association of Canada.
One of his most notable contributions to the preservation of history is his donation of nearly 22,000 historical Canadian photographs to the University of British Columbia’s Special Collections. This archive, known as the Uno Langmann Family Collection of British Columbia Photographs, captures over a century of life in British Columbia through a variety of formats, offering a unique glimpse into the province’s history from the 1850s to the 1970s.
Today, at 89 years old, Uno continues to celebrate over 58 years in the art business. Langmann’s love for art is still all-encompassing—when asked about his favorite piece, he thoughtfully replies, “the latest one that I just bought.” This enthusiasm speaks volumes about his genuine appreciation for art, where each new acquisition is a source of excitement. He finds joy in connecting with fellow art enthusiasts, sharing the stories behind each piece, and offering a more personal experience than typical auction sales, which he describes as a “cold way to sell art”.
For art lovers and collectors, Uno Langmann Limited is more than just a gallery—it is a space where passion, history, and creativity come together, offering a deeper connection to the art world. Langmann’s dedication to sharing these stories and his one-on-one approach to sales make it a unique experience for those seeking timeless pieces and the tales they hold.
About the photography collection donated to UBC
The Langmann Family Collection dates to the late 1970s, when the Langmanns bought an album featuring early shots of Canada from an Edinburgh antique shop during a trip abroad. Today, it contains an impressive overview of works from early provincial photographers; many of those are held in albums, a rarity given that album contents are often split up.
The photographs were taken by a wide range of photographers. Some well-known photographers represented in the collection include William Notman, Charles MacMunn, Frederick Dally, Charles Horetzky, Charles Gentile, Philip Timms, Yucho Chow, Richard Maynard, and Leonard Frank.
The Uno Langmann Family Collection of British Columbia Photographs consists of more than 7,900 online images from 77 albums. This collection includes extensive coverage of B.C. from the 1850s to the 1950s and includes photographs in a wide variety of formats and genres including albums, diaries, portraits, landscapes and city/townscapes.
The digital collection is a subset of The Uno Langmann Family Collection of B.C. Photographs, donated by Uno and Dianne Langmann and Uno Langmann Limited, which consists of more than 20,000 rare and unique items from the 1850s to the 1970s. It is considered one of the premiere collections assembled privately of early Pacific Northwest photos which has been donated, and an important visual history of early photographic methods.
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS: THE JOSEPH AND ROSALIE SEGAL COLLECTION OF EUROPEAN AND VICTORIAN PAINTINGS
One of the joys of running our gallery is assisting and guiding clients in curating their collections. As the client’s expertise and tastes grows and changes and the collection evolves we enjoy adding and transitioning works. We are thrilled to offer for sale an important carefully curated private collection assembled over 50 years by Joseph and Rosalie Segal of Vancouver. Their collection of European and Victorian 19th and early 20th century works is exceptional and contains important paintings by major artists painstakingly chosen and enjoyed in their Vancouver home.
https://www.langmann.com/segal-estate-exhibition