The Emil Bührle Collection: History, Full Catalogue and 70 Masterpieces - Hardcover

by Schweizerische Institut Für Kunstwissens (Editor), Lukas Gloor (Author)

A beautifully produced catalog of one of the great art collections of the modern age.

Paul C zanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, and many others--between 1936 and 1956 the Swiss industrialist Emil B hrle (1890-1956) amassed an impressive collection of French Impressionism and more. As the owner of the largest weapons factory in his country, he had close links to the world-changing events of World War II and the early Cold War. Initially, B hrle acquired works almost exclusively in Switzerland; then, from 1951 onward, he rapidly expanded his collection, thanks in part to his business contacts in the United States. This book illustrates the colorful history of the B hrle collection, which includes a total of 633 works, and examines its importance to modern art collections in Germany, Switzerland, and the United States. The survey is complemented by contributions from a number of authors who reflect on seventy masterpieces in the collection, from the old masters to Picasso.

Author Biography

The Schweizerisches Institut für Kunstwissenschaft (SIK-ISEA) was founded in 1951 and is the center of art history in Switzerland. Lukas Gloor has been the director of the Emil Bührle Collection in Zurich since 2002.