Author Description

Late in their careers, Swiss art dealers Ernst and Hildy Beyeler asked the renowned architect Renzo Piano to design a home for their collection. In 1997, it opened to the public, a low, sunny temple within driving distance of Basel. In its first 10 years it has attracted almost 3,000,000 visitors over some 30 exhibits. The Beyelers had always seen the museum as a place of living involvement and innovation, and the resulting juxtapositions have provided surprising insights and experiences for a broad range of visitors, many of whom are international. The works on show have included Claude Monet to Digital Impressionism, the paintings of Titian and Velazquez and a continuous shifting Mark Rothko installation. In 2008, Samuel Keller, director of the influential European art fair, Art Basel, will assume the directorship of the foundation and continue the Beyelers' life work. This complete catalogue of the foundation's collection documents 230 paintings and sculptures by artists like Cézanne, Picasso, Rousseau, Mondrian, Klee, Ernst, Matisse, Newman, Bacon, Dubuffet and Baselitz.