A Passion for Art

Interviews by Christophe Mory

Ernst Beyeler

A Passion for Art

Ernst Beyeler

Distributed for Scheidegger and Spiess

201 pages | 24 color plates, 35 halftones | 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 | © 2011
Cloth $39.00 ISBN: 9783858817273 Published February 2012

Ernst Beyeler (1921–2010) was a titan of the international art scene in the twentieth century. Born in Basel, Switzerland, he began his career as an apprentice in an antiquarian bookstore, eventually taking over the business and shifting his focus from books to dealing and collecting art. Through his discerning eye for art, his close relationships with many of the twentieth century’s great artists, and his role in the foundation of Art Basel, the world’s largest art fair, Beyeler transformed his hometown into a hub for international art.
            Published in English for the first time, A Passion for Art tells Beyeler’s unusually personal story, through interviews with Christophe Mory. Beyeler describes the evolution of his career and his encounters with artists such as Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, and Francis Bacon. He also speaks in detail about his own collection, which focuses mainly on twentieth-century artists like Matisse, Mondrian, Klee, and Dubuffet. This art collection is the basis for the Fondation Beyeler, a museum designed by Renzo Piano that houses over 150 pieces of art handpicked by Beyeler.          
Offering deep insight into the contemporary art trade and presenting an intimate portrait of Beyeler himself, A Passion for Art provides a new and distinctive perspective on the postwar European art world.
 

Contents
Foreword by Sam Keller

1. From a bookshop to a gallery
2. A gallery owner in Basel
3. Picasso, the Minotaur
4. Mark Tobey, an American in Basel
5. The woman from Winterthur
6. America and the Thompson deals
7. Paul Klee—A cornerstone of any modern art collection
8. Desperately seeking clients!
9. Thompson again. After Klee and the collection: Giacometti
10. The search for truth: Giacometti
11. Master painting: Dubuffet and Tàpies
12. In the gallery
13. Being a professional art buyer
14. America: William Rubin, New York, the dealers, the artists
15. The dealers again
16. Sculpture
17. The foundations
Conclusion: The culmination of a passion

Biography of Ernst Beyeler
Exhibitions at the Galerie Beyeler
Exhibitions at the Fondation Beyeler
Index of names
Photo credits
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