Conversations with Ernst Beyeler

[LCR]

Not so long ago a book was published interviews journalist and art critic Christophe Maury Ernst Beyeler (I of stories about him material, in particular, on his death, I will not repeat itself, but it is one of the largest and most important art institution of the past century). This book was an unexpected success, has been translated into several languages. That translated into Russian:

Ernst Beyeler

A passion for art

Conversations with Christophe Maury

1 from the bookstore to the gallery

«In the beginning was the book shop"
Erik Orsenna, Colonial Exhibition

Christophe Maury: For sixty years, as you drive in those old walls of the professional life of international scope.

Ernst Beyeler: Actually, I never left the neighborhood. The school opposite - it is my high school. Here I found my first job. At the time, Basel was absolutely nothing to do with the world of art. And now, more than sixty years, I have not changed this quarter. At the beginning of our history it was a few dilapidated house. A man named Oscar Schloss took him from the city to lease and opened its bookstore.

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How it all began?

When I met with Oscar Schloss, he was sixty-two years. This was a real romantic. He was born in Germany, in Worms, in the family wine producers and traders of Jewish descent, traveled a lot for his company. He loved to read, so that mission, he always took the book, especially the first pocket edition, small volumes Reclam publishing house in a yellow cover. He kept reading. He stumbled upon a few books about Buddhism, read them, he became a Buddhist and realized that he could not sell more wine. Then he asked that his family has contributed its share of the inheritance, and bought land in Munich, which he built on the houses. In one of them was located based publisher of Buddhist. He grew vegetables and various herbs to live in complete self-sufficiency. Then he sold everything and decided to go to Ceylon in the Buddhist monastery.

And how he was in Basel?

At this point there are several versions. One of them says that on his way to Ceylon, he stayed in Switzerland for skiing, fell and broke his leg. In the hospital he fell in love with his nurse. Upon recovering, he settled on the mountain Tessin of Locarno, and led it and perfection. All this was in 1934 that time the chancellor, Hitler had a law that Germany was forbidden to export capital, especially companies belonging to people of Jewish origin, so that Oscar Schloss could not get money from the sale of its publishing. He was devastated and was forced to seek work. He met another German expatriate, Dr. Leuben, who had a publishing house in Frankfurt, who offered him work in his branch of Basel. But all these details do not matter. Oscar Schloß was not particularly competent, but he had an unmistakable flair. He organized a bookstore around the literature, philosophy, and the stock incunabula and rare editions. Of course, a great place it was given to the Buddhist literature. In his store also sold prints and drawings ...

You're also not very well known literature?

I studied high school there, and I was terribly bored. Trade was not interested in me, but I was anxious to start working. I loved his city and its environs, I had friends with whom we met regularly at the club rowing - I visit him and to this day. Actually, I did not have any reason to complain about their lives. I thought I learned a lot working in the store Schloss.

What's the idea you went to work: You like to earn money, to become independent?

It wanted to find a job that would be to my liking. I did not know which way I go. I relied on the case. When a friend offered to introduce me to Oscar Schloss and go to work for him, I refused. I knew this quarter - in fact I was in school on the contrary ... It all happened quite naturally. Schloss asked me to write letters to the proposals to libraries and to monitor the condition of books. This work leaves me time to read, I would like to know and understand as many things.

What have you learned over the years?

Schloss gave me a lesson, a very simple, but I follow him until now. He had a dog, incredibly lazy St. Bernard. This dog was so lazy that he was too lazy to even get up and go to the bowl with food, and he could just die of hunger. Schloss brought the cat who pounced on the food. Seeing this, the old dog rose and went there not to leave food to the enemy. For me, this lesson was very important. People rarely feel the absolute need to buy art - indeed, why should they suddenly decide to buy this or that picture? So I always tried to find on every work of two competitors. My attempts to lie, tell the customer that the non-existent opponent did not give positive results. But when the second client was real, buyers are immediately sensed this and hurried to buy. For each of his paintings, I tried to find the cat.

During the war, selling books was probably easy?

Many German immigrants brought with them books, engravings, drawings. Oscar Schloss was this ability - bewitch people. Do not engage, namely, cast a spell. It was a bit shy, but I felt that kept the conversation interested, he could talk endlessly. He had a very subtle and precise sense of books and art.

And what kind of people were clients of your store?


They were mostly residents of Basel - lawyers, doctors and, of course, university professors. Bookstore Castle art (in German Schloss means "castle") was known for the quality of the proposed literature and eclecticism of choice.

Does your boss store to replenish your knowledge?

Sure. I owe him. He told me a lot. I worked in the evenings. We talked about literature, about religion. I always dreamed of seeing the world, travel, travel to Africa, and these conversations have allowed me to make an imaginary trip around the world.

So, it was the happiest time of your life?


It was extremely interesting period, but happy? - No, because it happened during the war. And although in a sense we're at war not affected, however, our everyday life was not easy. Every day, Oscar Schloss received from Germany, the news of the disappearance of their loved ones. This undermined his strength. He lived in constant anxiety for his family, for his friends. He died of a heart attack in April 1945 - stress, in which he lived more than ten years, with the most cursed the moment when Hitler came to power, he was killed.

Death of Oscar Schloss meant that the shop will be closed. Do you intend to replace it?


No, not at all. His heirs would eliminate shop and go to Israel. But the elimination meant that everything will be sold on the monstrously low prices. We were regular customers. I decided to take advantage of this situation, but did not feel able to continue the work begun by Schloss. This store was completely a creation of his hands, he did not quite fit my inclinations. I made heirs Schloss proposal and they accepted it. I promised them to buy the store in installments. In autumn, we concluded a contract.
While it was possible to inexpensively create a stock of books. I bought in Prague, boxes of books confiscated in German bookstores. The market was a lot of books on art: to keep these books in the store were costly - it was necessary to monitor their condition, to protect them from damage ... But I knew that my shop would never be "perfect bookshop" - that is why I had not enough patience. In any case, the 1 st December 1945, I jumped into the water.

In principle, the special concerns you did not have?

Were. I immediately called the bank and announced that my predecessor had left a debt of six thousand Swiss francs, and in those days it was quite a significant amount. They gave me a month to have to repay this debt. In addition, I had to start paying the heirs. Thus, at the very beginning of its activities at the new bookstore Castle art has been a liability in a few thousand francs. I was young, unknown, inexperienced. It was necessary to improve the situation.

, but the store was a large supply of books?


Yes, and it could help me. However, the delay was not. I was incredibly lucky: in my rowing club found a man who liked it when young people set out on business, he decided to help me. He lent me a 8000 Swiss francs in the first place, that I pay off debt, and secondly, that I could organize a little shop. I immediately put out the duty of Oscar Schloss and began looking for a way to develop the activities of the store. It was necessary to sell more, and to sell, I was thoroughly aware of their products. We had a lot of prints and drawings. It occurred to me that sell them should be easier than books. Also, I bought a delicious Japanese prints from private collections. And so in 1947, the curtain cloth bookshelves, I organized his first exhibition. But I seriously did not know enough. I relied on my eyes and asked several friends, the owners of works of art, lend me your stuff. This exhibition was quite successful. Visitors liked it, and the prices I have been very moderate.

Why did you not continue to work with Japanese engravings?

This show convinced me that there should be a real professional in his craft: study prints, learn the Japanese language. Experts on Japanese prints will never agree with each other, so decisions had to Marchand, that is me. But in order to make the right decisions, we had the most to be an expert, but I was just a passion of an amateur. The following year I organized the exhibition of prints by Durer and Rembrandt, a year - an exhibition of African and Iranian art, and this experience confirmed me in my own opinion.

Why did you refuse the sale of books, because you got yourself some experience in this area?

I lacked discipline. I lost a lot of time. We were incunabula, rare and original edition. I could not understand them, because I always wanted to read everything. I soon realized that because I get nothing - certainly I can continue to read and acquire knowledge that would enrich me intellectually, and perhaps even spiritually, but knowledge can not eat. You see, I had no literary education, I rushed to read Goethe, Schiller ...

For two years I think you know what you want to do. It only remained to choose a period, style ...


I tried to display the best Swiss artists - Auberjonois, Gubler, Berger, Hodler, Amiet. As well as young artists of Basel, in which I have been in the workshops. I gave the painting, but to sell them was not easy. The public does not trust modern art, because his value has not yet been confirmed time. But it was important to show the quality, rather than names. I'm still searching for a suitable period of my art, painting, which I can learn well enough to work seriously. I exhibited prints and drawings of artists from Toulouse-Lautrec to Picasso. Finally, in 1951, I organized the first exhibition of paintings, which included the work of Bonnard, Renoir, Picasso and Matisse. The work I borrowed the French and Swiss collectors - while it was still possible.
 
A book of the store stock?

I gradually eliminated all the books. The walls were empty, and I began to work on projects exhibitions.