Ernst Beyeler's Memoir: A Life in Art

Ernst Beyeler, the legendary Swiss art dealer and co-founder of Art Basel, recounts his career in a book of interviews titled "La Passion de l'art," co-authored with Christophe Mory. Starting as a young employee in a small Basel bookshop in the 1940s, Beyeler took over the business after his boss's death, focusing on print sales and organizing early exhibitions of modern artists. He quickly gained renown, dealing with giants like Picasso, Giacometti, Tobey, and Rothko, and influential figures such as Kahnweiler, Castelli, collector David Thompson, and William Rubin. His gallery's reputation grew, and Art Basel, which he helped found, became a must-attend fair. At age 83, Beyeler shares anecdotes about artists, collectors, museum curators, and fellow dealers, revealing sales techniques and his criteria for quality: "The work of art imposes itself, or it does not... First, I must be fascinated." His legacy includes the Fondation Beyeler, opened in 1998 in Riehen near Basel, a museum he never wanted to leave.