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2 of the Basel gallery owner


Christophe Maury: Well, you came to a success. But let's not exaggerate, it is only a modest success of local importance, do not extend beyond the city with a population of two hundred thousand people. He asked whether you develop their activities outside the Basel?

 Ernst Beyeler: Basel - a charming city, but at the time he was completely unknown in the medium of art. Here in Zurich have been dealers of art. But I was still too early to ask whether you want to move to Paris, London go to New York. I knew that in the future I will have to resolve this issue. I'm ready for it. But in the meantime it was necessary to decide to leave me out of Basel, or to stay.
Basel has long acquired an international dimension - to think, this is the spirit of the Cathedral. It was here from 1431 to 1434 years. held a Christian church, which was divided Catholic and Orthodox churches on the basis of the famous filioque. Erasmus is not by chance came here and stayed here to live. The geographic location of the city - on the shores of the Rhine at the crossroads between Germany, France and Italy - gave him strategic importance militarily and intellectually. Through Basel passed an ancient Roman road leading north to England. The famous University of Basel taught hundreds of students, who then went off to the world, but retained links with the city ... The city is strong humanist tradition, so it does not contradict the spirit of my projects. And then, here I had friends, rowing club, the snowy peaks of only a few hours by road from my house - what to look elsewhere if you are here I have found a sense of emotional balance?

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Yes, and then, there was a museum ... After all this time, you met with Georg Schmidt?

Yes, and this knowledge proved decisive. Basel museum has historically been the world's first "democratic" museum. The city has acquired a collection of Holbein, other primary exhibits, our great curators organized the first exhibition in the Kunsthalle. At that time, as collectors continue to buy the Dutch and the Impressionists, the city hosted the first exhibition of Picasso, Braque, it was in 1932, the same year at the Georges Petit in Paris, opened the first retrospective of Picasso. In 1949 in Basel, an exhibition of late works of Claude Monet. All of this speaks to the interest of our little town to the art, and its taste.
In 1936 he opened a new museum building, and Georg Schmidt became its chief curator. He had a very radical views: he bought a modern painting - for example, Mondrian - and the German "degenerate art", thus saving these paintings from destruction. He managed to create around himself a network of curious and energetic people fully trusted him. One of them was a banker Raoul La Roche, have formed a fine collection, which included many works of Cubism. It was this way: Arriving in Paris, he met with one student who told him: "It is necessary to buy modern art!". La Roche succumbed to persuasion, and the student brought him a picture, which occurred from the gallery Kanvaylera. So La Roche won the art, the paramount importance which is now clear to all. At that time, the student wore a name Jeanneret, he later changed it to Le Corbusier ... Later Raoul La Roche donated his rich collection of Cubist as a gift to the museum of his native city, Basel. Georg Schmidt was quite ubiquitous: he lectured, gave the conference, attended by more listeners. Major collectors have lent him anything he asked - the most significant works, such as Three Rabbi Mark Shagalla or canvases by Picasso. I repeat: he saved the work of German artists. He really was a pioneer. Many curators from other museums turned to him for advice.

Now this is the salvation of "degenerate art" may seem a bit suspicious, does not it?

Unfortunately, in our time, when this period is now behind us, there are people who talk about "stealing". We must remember the context in which these acts were committed. The works stolen or confiscated by the Nazis, were exhibited for sale in bulk, it was impossible to know which of them come from museums, and what - from private collections. Nobody knew anything. Even now, it's hard to figure it out. However, all work sold v1939, in Lucerne, it is unquestionably came from museums. Unsold paintings can be either destroyed or shipped to America, where there were many fans of this painting, as it would lead to extinction in Europe, an entire layer of art.

And you, someone in this reproach?

Yes, at the Improvisation 10. I bought this canvas Kandinsky in Cologne Marshal Ferdinand Moller, who assured me that he had received it from Ganoverskogo Museum, desired or forced to get rid of that work "degenerate art". She was among the paintings, which Muller had saved: he took them off the stretcher, rolled, packed in metal boxes and buried in his garden. When the Soviet army approached Berlin, he moved to Cologne - all understood that it would end badly. In Cologne, Moeller offered me this paper vmesste with other works. Artwork produced enormous impression on me, and I said Moeller, that buy it, but I had to ask him to wait a month, so I can raise money - 18,000 francs. I did not know that it came from a private collection.
Years later, Ian Lissitzky, the son of the former owner of the canvas, has accused me - he claimed that I took advantage of the situation, knowing the actual origin of the picture. He hired a private detective and asked him to find work, pick her up and bring in the U.S., where he has drawn on its promise to sell. His lawyers wrote to me threatening letters. But the fact is that this paper could claim not only Lissitzky. I met with all the heirs and voluntarily invited them to repair the damage, although he was not obligated to do so. But I could not part with one of the central works of my collection. I explained that I bought it, not knowing that it belonged to private individuals. And then, because Nazis could simply destroy them! Muller rescued her, and then I bought it and cherished. In general, in the end I managed to defend this great canvas.

Let's talk about this work.

I did not immediately appreciated its historical importance, although he was shocked by its strong rhythms. On the right, we see the line and three domes - perhaps the memory of the Kremlin. Improvisation 9, which is now in the museum in Stuttgart, in general, something like my work, but it is still very figurative, at her castle, and depicted a rider on the hill. At my work can only see shapes, organized around a dynamic yellow triangle. According to one preserved the sketch, it displays a Sunday, Russian Easter. It is possible that three wavy lines on the left depict women at the tomb. Everything is organized around an open tomb, and this fragmentation to fragments wonderful - everyone can find his vision. Yes, this Sunday gives the picture its entire force. This is one of the first abstraction in the history of art. I hung it in the gallery immediately after purchase.

So, you are immediately attracted by contemporary art. But what was the impetus, the starting push?

I fully fell under the action of one picture. In 1943 in Milan, I saw Guernica. It completely shocked me, shokirovapa. Guernica embodies the full, the maximum belief. This picture shows all of the materials of the twentieth century: the concrete, steel, there are present and the media, personified the radio, so heavy, so weighty ... Sun-electric light sets in sharp contrast with light. I was shocked. Guernica has become for me a masterpiece, operezhayushim his life. During the Korean War, Picasso tried again to express this power. Even before that, in order to protest against the episode in Swine Bay in Cuba in 1962, he wrote the rape of the Sabines - I bought it in Geneva, with Norman Granz. The war is embodied in this picture as madness, violence, killing a woman. In contrast to what we see in Guernica, the horse - not a victim, but the bearer of death, as is often found in painting. We can assume that the woman in the foreground had been raped. The strain of pictures enhanced by the fact that it seems that it goes toward the viewer. It expressed a presentiment of impending war. Luckily, this war has been avoided? But the threat of it is still present, it is urgent. That is why we decided to always put a reproduction of Guernica, life-size at the exhibition "Tribute", which was organized in our fund in March 2003, I recall the night before the meeting of the UN Security Council on February 5, 2003, a huge tapestry that reproduces Guernica and presented to the United Nations in 1985 by Norman Rockefeller, blue cloth covered, because it was impossible to proedstavit imagine that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will make the consent of the Security Council to war with Iraq before this absolute condemnation of all wars, signed Picasso. This is a strong condemnation of the politics of art, challenge the most aggressive and disturbing picture in the history of art, indeed, unprecedented. Newspaper «Frankfurter Algemeine Zeitung» (10 th fervralya 2003) wrote that stifle beautiful cry emitted by Picasso in 1937 when news of the bombardment and destruction of the town of Guernica - the gesture is highly symbolic. He once again showed incredible performance, which keeps this picture in 70 years after the Picasso painted it. The initial shock of Guernica has not disappeared.

Let's go back to George Schmidt ...

In 1951, I sold him fovistskogo Matisse later - Bathers Cezanne painting very much. I am very proud their sales in the Basel museum, which was already beginning to be quoted among the collectors. The passion of George Schmidt of the arts and his courage helped him to break down prejudices and to persuade the Government to buy works of art, though not always: sometimes he had to admit defeat, as in the case of cabin Jourdan, latest work of Cezanne, who caught a cold, working on her stormy night , and died shortly afterwards. Schmidt suggested that the city had bought the painting, he presented it to the City Council and explained its fundamental visionary aspect. However, City Councilman for Education, was under the influence her brother-sculptor, persuaded the Council to vote against. This is - a disgrace to the city, which allowed to take Cezanne in Milan, where she was sold to the Roman National Gallery of Modern Art. However, more often Schmidt managed to get to the Museum of wonderful things. Schmidt was a very significant figure in the cultural life of Basel, his presence has had on the inhabitants of the city a stimulating influence in the arts.

means that his presence encouraged you to stay in Basel.

His presence was one of the elements, but not only, not the only one! I said: even if the abstraction from the beauty of the shores of the Rhine, Basle managed to cultivate a love for art. Did you know that the city acquired two works by Picasso on the basis of popular vote?

Rudolf Staehelin owned a very substantial collection of contemporary art, which included two important works by Picasso: Seated Harlequin (1923) and Two Brothers (1906). These paintings, along with other were transferred to long-term storage of the museum in Basel and hung in the permanent exhibition. However, in 1967 the son Staehelin decided to sell them. Was impossible to reconcile with their disappearance from the museum. In order to make a decision on their purchase, was organized by a referendum, as half of their value should have to pay the taxpayers. Prior to the referendum, scheduled for December 17, young people in the old bikes with huge wheels traveled through the city and asked residents to vote for the purchase of a Picasso. They were handing out tracts, painted on the streets - giving the impression that the people voted in favor of the Picasso, but not for his paintings. One of my friends from the boating club told me: "I'm not going to vote, but two cyclists persuaded me. Imagine, I voted for Picasso! ". The city only about this and talked.

Since both the canvas remained in the museum. Immediately after the referendum, we called Pablo Picasso, he was delighted and later often told this story. He was very proud of such a plebiscite in Basel population. In a flood of joy, he invited the director of the museum, the Franz Mayer, to visit him, and he came back from him with a present - three canvases and pastels. On a wave of public enthusiasm for the famous collector Maya Zaher gave city kubistskogo Picasso. Do you know any other city in the world, able to such gestures? Here is another item that urged me not to leave Basel. And then, in London, Paris and New York there was no need for another gallery. And in Basel, I found a place. I watched the quality our catalogs and distributed them throughout the world, so everyone knows that there is something going on. I've always loved the publishing work - do the layout, check the layout, choose the photos ...

You always do write lyrics to a directory?

My principle - as little as possible texts, at first I limited quotations from the artists themselves - it is much more interesting than the chatter in the preface. In the gallery you can see works of art, and in their university study. This is a very different approach. Eventually I learned to relate to the statements of artists with caution. Some of them say so cleverly, with such conviction that it appears that this great creator. In fact, everything is just the opposite. Works of great artists and innovators discover something new and profound, something quite distinct from intellectualism history of art. When Alberto Giacometti talked about his work, his speech was always very simple and genuine, it was evident that this interpretation visionary.

Gradually, our catalogs became famous. To gallery and museum directors began to arrive and American collectors. Basel truly become a city of contemporary art.