Ernst Beyeler

Ernst Beyeler was born on July 16, 1921 in Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland. He was married to Hildy Kunz.

He earned a business diploma and attended university lectures on art history and economics at the University of Basel while working at an antiquarian book and print shop at 9 Baumleingasse owned by Oskar Schloss who died in 1945. He took over the shop and created the Galerie Beyeler.

From 1959 to 1965, he began collecting and buying Impressionist and modern art masterpieces by 100 pieces by Klee; 90 by Giacometti; and hundreds of Cezanne, Monet, Picasso, Braque, Matisse, Miro and others from Pittsburgh steel baron, David G. Thompson.

In 1966, he acquired 26 pieces of art from Pablo Picasso including "Le Savetage (The Rescue)" which he kept for himself and is now part of the Foundation Beyeler's collection.

In 1971, he founded the Art Basel art fair in Basel, Switzerland.

In 1972, he acquired a 100 pieces from Kandinsky's widow.

In 1982, he and his wife founded the Beyeler Foundation and commissioned Renzo Piano to design a museum to hold their private collection in Riehen, Switzerland with 220 pieces including Western artists with Impressionism and postwar American paintings and 40 pieces of African and Oceanic art. The Beyeler Museum has 19 galleries with a room for the Picasso pieces and another room for Giacometti pieces.