Als ich mich 1972 für die frei gewordene Stelle als Leiter einer bedeutenden, international tätigen Kunstgalerie bewarb, legte ich das anschliessend wiedergegebene „Curriculum Vitae“ bei, in dem vor allem meine damaligen Interessen und Aktivtäten auf dem Gebiet der modernen Kunst beschrieben sind. Darauf basierend wurde mir tatsächlich die offene Stelle angeboten. Das Gehalt, zusammen mit einem prozentuellen Anteil an den Verkäufen, hätte voraussichtlich eine hohe Summe ergeben. Verlangt wurde jedoch nicht nur meine persönliche Präsenz während der Öffnungszeiten der Galerie. Zudem sollte ich „as often as possible“ reiche Kunden mittags oder abends zu feudalen Essen einladen! Eine derartiges Opfer von Freizeit konnte ich natürlich nicht annehmen und so wurde nichts aus der Sache.
Personal Background
- Born 1924, Swiss National
- Divorced, one daughter
- Languages: German, English, Italian, French, Russian
Educational Background
- 1930 – 1934 Elementary School, Basel
- 1934 – 1943 Gymnasium, Basel (high school and college)
- 1944 – 1949 University of Basel and Sorbonne University, Paris, studies in Economics and Law
- 1950 Ph.D. in Economics (Dr. rer. pol.)
Professional Activities
- 1945 – 1948 Part-time employment to finance studies; research work on economic conditions of local industries for American Consulata, Basel.
- During summer vacations conducted tours to various European countries.
- Visited Africa, Asia, U.S.A., Canada, Central and South America.
- 1951 – 1952 Assistant to Dr. Rudolf Farner, Zürich, owner of the largest Swiss
- advertising agency.
- 1953 – 1954 Employed by Ewell & Thurber, advertising agency, Toledo, Ohio,
- U.S.A., responsible for international advertising problems.
- 1954 – 1957 Employed as Advertising Manager by Shell Switzerland in Zürich.
- 1958 Started my own advertising agency in Zürich. Steady development into a highly reputed and profitable business.
- 1969 Sold 45% of shares of my agency to an international chain of advertising agencies with headquarters in New York. At this time my agency had 44 employees and annual billings of Swiss Fr. 12’000’000.
- 1972 Sold remaining shares to the same organization
Interest in Modern Art
- Organised several exhibitions of sculptures in premises of agenoy’s office building and in ist surrounding garden.
- Personal contacts to numerous artists: Luginbühl, Daniel Spoerri, Tinguely, Hofkunst, Rätz, Franz Gertsch, Nobuo Sekine, Arakawa, Christo, John Salt etc. ·
- Participated in discussions on art organized by Swiss Radio.
- Made inauguration speeches at exhibitions of artist friends.
- Sponsored young artists (promotion and gallery contacts).
- Produced and sold own „artwork“.
- Member of Art Associations in Zürich, Olten, Basel, Bern and Luzern.
- Contacts with Swiss art galleries, museum directors and art-collectors.
- Established dealership in the U.S.A. for „X-art Collection“, Zürich.
- Replaced organiser – Dr. Bammatter – absent during first ART Fair in Basel
- Regular visits of major exhibitions such as Documenta Kasse1, Venice Biennale and Cologne Kunstmarkt.
- Annual trips to New York for visiting galleries and museum.s
- Increasing volume of my own art collection necessitated recently the acquisition of house in Brissago to be converted into a small museum.