Operating from his gallery at Bäumleingasse in Basel, Ernst Beyeler (1921-2010) provided the world's leading collectors and museums with extraordinary art. He brought about high-power deals behind the scenes; and he organized legendary exhibitions.
Mr. Beyeler was a co-founder of Art Basel, the world's most prestigious modern and contemporary art fair. The 42nd edition of Art Basel opened with a bang in Basel this week as an international crowd pushed through the entrance to be first to the post on the invitation-only preview day (until Sunday). "You think they could wait five minutes," said one irritated fair-goer. Inside, corridors lead through a wealth of 20th- and 21st-century art with something for everybody, from billionaire collectors to those with a budget.
With his wife Hildy, Mr. Beyeler assembled a wonderful private collection of post-Impressionist, Modern, Contemporary, African and Oceanic art for which they built the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen-Basel, one of Europe's most beautiful museums.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Christie's in London will offer works from the estate of Mr. Beyeler. They will include paintings, sculptures and drawings by notable names such as Monet, Gauguin, Renoir, Klee and Picasso. President of Christie's Europe Jussi Pylkkänen says "a tremendous atmosphere" is expected. Auction proceeds will be used to support the Fondation.
The Christie's sale will have works from the now-closed Galerie Beyeler and personal pieces that the couple loved to have around them. The latter includes an exquisite park landscape in rich watercolors from 1920 by Klee that hung above Mr. Beyeler's bedside table for more than 50 years (estimate: £400,000-£600,000).
Among the major Beyeler highlights will be one of Monet's famous "Nymphéas" series, depicting the artist's garden pond with water lilies (estimate: £17 million-£24 million). A superb portrait of Francoise Gilot by Picasso is expected to fetch £7 million-£10 million. Gilot, Picasso's lover between 1943 and 1953, was responsible for inspiring some of the artist's most joyous pictures. The portrait is intensely colored with green hair and a blue face. According to Christie's, the coloring of the picture was much influenced by Matisse, who once remarked that if he painted Gilot, she would have green hair; and a somewhat jealous Picasso decided that he would do it himself.
Meanwhile, Sotheby's on Wednesday in London is reaching for a record with Egon Schiele's "Häuser mit bunter Wäsche (Vorstadt II)" from 1914, a colorful cityscape with fantasy houses and a row of washing in the foreground. This magic painting by the Austrian artist, who died at the age of 28, is estimated at £22 million-£30 million.
