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Pierre Brahms, who has died at the age of 85, was a well-known figure in Luxembourg business and cultural and nightlife circles. Photo: Mike Koedinger 

Pierre Brahms, who died on Monday at the age of 85, was a well-known figure in Luxembourg business, cultural and nightlife circles. Indeed, something of a Renaissance man, Brahms was involved and showed an interest in all aspects of life and the arts.

In a fascinating homage in Paperjam, close friend Claude Neu explains that as a child Brahms was taken by his family to Brazil to escape the Nazi occupiers of Luxembourg in the Second World War--his name had been listed as one of many Jewish children in the grand duchy.

Brahms is best known as an entrepreneur and real estate owner who transformed the now defunct Maison Moderne fashion house, on the corner of grand rue and côte d’Eich into one of the most original stores in the city.

He also owned buildings on the rue du Nord, where many creative expats found accommodation and even started their own businesses--former Radio Luxembourg DJ Adrianne Sebastien-Scott (Jodie Scott) and former owner of Konrad Café Ture Hedberg were among the residents.  When Maison Moderne closed in 1991, Brahms threw a legendary party in the empty building that is still talked about to this day. Such was the reputation of the store, that Mike Koedinger, the founder of the publishing house that produces Delano and Paperjam, decided to rebrand his eponymously named company after Maison Moderne.

At around the same time that Maison Moderne closed, Brahms opened the Marx Bar in Hollerich, which again set new standards for night life in the city and spawned many copycat bars.

As Neu, who was the first editor in chief of Paperjam, writes, “Pierre didn’t like talking about himself. He preferred to listen to others.” I had the pleasure of being one of those he listened to on a few occasions when, together with Natalie Gerhardstein, I was invited to one of Pierre’s “salons”. These were informal lunches in his labyrinthic apartment overlooking the grand rue at which he gathered “interesting” people--I recall the likes of Claude Bertemes and Nicole Dahlen from the Cinémathèque, city alderman Patrick Goldschmidt, or head of the CNA Paul Lesch discussing the topics of the day.

Charming and gracious, well-read and intellectually curious, Pierre Brahms will be remembered as a true gentleman.