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Pablo Picasso in 1971. Ernst Beyeler's reputation and friendships with famous painters were such that Pablo Picasso allowed him to pick 26 of his works during a visit to the artist's studio at Mougins in 1966, according to the Beyeler Fondation.
"We mourn him deeply. At the same time, we are grateful for having been able to know and cooperate for so many years with this extraordinary personality."
After his first exhibition of Japanese woodcuts in 1947, some 16,000 works of art including those by some of the biggest names in modern art passed through Beyeler's hands over 50 years.
His reputation and friendships with famous painters were such that Pablo Picasso allowed him to pick 26 of his works during a visit to the ebullient artist's studio at Mougins in southern France in 1966, according to the foundation.
An economist and salesman by training, Beyeler nurtured his passion for art during the 1940s in an antique bookshop in his native Basel owned by a German Jewish refugee.
After the death of the owner, Beyeler took over the business and gradually turned it into a gallery with his wife Hildy. He often said he was guided by little more than his own intuition rather than by fashion or trends.
His breakthrough came in the early 1960s with the acquisition of about 340 works by Cezanne, Paul Klee, Monet, Picasso, Matisse, Leger, Mondrian and Braque from the Thompson collection in the United States.
The Beyelers established their foundation in 1982, but the collection was only shown in its entirety for the first time in Madrid seven years later.
The foundation notably runs a museum designed by architect Renzo Piano in Riehen, that also specialises in special exhibitions juxtaposing modern art with some of the other works that inspired them.
"We have always been deeply moved by great works of art, and their impact on us is such that we are often loathe to part with them," Ernst Beyeler explained at the opening of the museum in 1997.
"Secondly, we have a need to share these works with others and pass on the profit they bring."
"Also, and above all, we want to pay homage to the great artists of our time, a time which will probably go down as one of the outstanding periods in the history of art," he added.
The permanent collection now counts some 200 paintings and sculptures by 40 artists from Francis Bacon to Andy Warhol.
Beyeler, who had no children, was also the co-founder of the international art fair in Basel.
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After his first exhibition of Japanese woodcuts in 1947, some 16,000 works of art including those by some of the biggest names in modern art passed through Beyeler's hands over 50 years.
His reputation and friendships with famous painters were such that Pablo Picasso allowed him to pick 26 of his works during a visit to the ebullient artist's studio at Mougins in southern France in 1966, according to the foundation.
An economist and salesman by training, Beyeler nurtured his passion for art during the 1940s in an antique bookshop in his native Basel owned by a German Jewish refugee.
After the death of the owner, Beyeler took over the business and gradually turned it into a gallery with his wife Hildy. He often said he was guided by little more than his own intuition rather than by fashion or trends.
His breakthrough came in the early 1960s with the acquisition of about 340 works by Cezanne, Paul Klee, Monet, Picasso, Matisse, Leger, Mondrian and Braque from the Thompson collection in the United States.
The Beyelers established their foundation in 1982, but the collection was only shown in its entirety for the first time in Madrid seven years later.
The foundation notably runs a museum designed by architect Renzo Piano in Riehen, that also specialises in special exhibitions juxtaposing modern art with some of the other works that inspired them.
"We have always been deeply moved by great works of art, and their impact on us is such that we are often loathe to part with them," Ernst Beyeler explained at the opening of the museum in 1997.
"Secondly, we have a need to share these works with others and pass on the profit they bring."
"Also, and above all, we want to pay homage to the great artists of our time, a time which will probably go down as one of the outstanding periods in the history of art," he added.
The permanent collection now counts some 200 paintings and sculptures by 40 artists from Francis Bacon to Andy Warhol.
Beyeler, who had no children, was also the co-founder of the international art fair in Basel.
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