1967 Basel Picasso paintings purchase referendum
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/87/Pablo_Picasso%2C_1905-06%2C_Les_deux_fr%C3%A8res_%28The_two_brothers%29%2C_oil_on_canvas%2C_141.4_x_97.1_cm%2C_Kunstmuseum_Basel.jpg/220px-Pablo_Picasso%2C_1905-06%2C_Les_deux_fr%C3%A8res_%28The_two_brothers%29%2C_oil_on_canvas%2C_141.4_x_97.1_cm%2C_Kunstmuseum_Basel.jpg)
In the 1967 Basel Picasso paintings purchase referendum, the people of Basel, Switzerland, voted for the purchase of two paintings by Pablo Picasso, Les deux frères (1906) and Arlequin assis (1923). The referendum took place on 17 December 1967, and the "yes" campaign was supported by the youth of Basel and the local football club FC Basel, among others. Picasso was astonished by the fact that people would vote in favor to buy his art in a majority vote, and invited Franz Meyer, the director of the Kunstmuseum Basel, to see him at his atelier in Mougins, where he presented the "Youth of Basel" with four more of his works.[1]
Background
Artist Pablo Picasso finished the paintings Two Brothers in 1905 and Seated Harlequin in 1923. The Swiss industrialist Rudolf Staechelin came to acquire both, in 1907 and 1924. Following the Basel-based entrepreneur's death in 1947, his foundation loaned the two paintings to the Kunstmuseum Basel, whereupon they became a treasured part of the collection. After 20 years in the Basel collection, the museum assumed the loan would be permanent.[2]
But the fate of the paintings became uncertain following the 1967 Nicosia Britannia disaster, in which a Globe-Air flight crashed, killing 126 and leading to the Basel charter airline's bankruptcy. Peter Staechelin, a son of the industrialist, officer of his foundation, and principal shareholder of Globe-Air,[2] sought to sell paintings to repay his creditors.[3] The Staechelin Foundation chose to sell works by Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, and Alfred Sisley[3] as well as the La Berceuse by Vincent Van Gogh, all of which were hanging on loan in the Basel Kunstmuseum.[4] An unidentified American bidder offered 11 million francs for Staechelin's two Picassos (US$2.56 million).[2] After a first successful sale was reported, opposition to a further sell-out arose from influential personalities of Basel. Franz Meyer and Peter Staechelin agreed that the two Picassos would be sold to the city of Basel for the sum of 8.4 million Swiss Francs, which was enough to pay for Staehelin's debts.[4]
Referendum
The Executive Council of Basel-Stadt decided to grant six million for the purchase of the Picassos and the Grand Council of Basel-Stadt approved the loan with four opposing votes[5] on 12 October 1967.[3] The remaining 2.4 million was to be paid by the public.[3][4] To collect the amount needed, the cultural society of the city organized so called "Beggars Feasts", daughters of good-standing families cleaned shoes or offered meals[4] and students sold popcorn during school breaks.[6] The amount of money collected was displayed above the entrance of the Kunstmuseum Basel,[6] which reserved a prominent room, where only the two Picassos in question together with Hans Holbein the Younger's portrait of his wife and their two children were presented, to show the current mood of the museum.[7] A committee led by Albert Lauper,[8] who had lost money with the liquidation of Globe Air, opposed the loan and achieved enough votes for a referendum about the credit for the purchase.[9] The committee argued that the municipality should be concerned about affordable housing and social welfare instead of purchasing paintings.[6] A vigorous campaign ensued during which the slogans "I like Pablo" or "All you need is Pablo" were proclaimed in manifestations throughout the city. "All you need is Pablo" was chosen in reference to the well-known Beatles song "All You Need Is Love", which was released the same year.[9] The local football club FC Basel hung posters supporting the "yes campaign"[1] and the city's public transport operator offered an option to donate a part of ticket fares for the purchase of the Picassos while its director appealed to the spirit of Johann Rudolf Wettstein who in 1661 also decided to support the culture of Basel.[8] The students of the high schools in Basel collected 2,000 signatures among themselves in a show of solidarity with the yes campaign[6] and the cantons of Basel-Land and St.Gallen both voluntarily contributed to the purchase. Together with further donations by the pharmaceutical elite of Basel, 2.5 million was raised which was more than initially needed.[9]
Proponents held nightly meetings to strategize their outreach to Basel's poorer citizens, who may be more inclined to allocate funds for other services. Basel artists donated paintings and pottery for sale at the Beggar's Festival, a street fair.[2]
Opponents argued that the funds were better appropriated towards schools and hospitals. Many former stockholders and employees of the Basel-based, bankrupted Globe-Air resented the idea of public bailout for the paintings, considering their losses from the affair.[2]
The referendum, which took place on 17 December 1967,[4] passed 32,118 to 27,190.[2] The two paintings remained in the Kunstmuseum Basel.[10][11] As part of the sale, the city required the Staechelin Foundation to keep 12 of the museum's highest prized works on loan for 15 years at a minimum.[2]
Reactions
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/74/Pablo_Picasso%2C_1912%2C_Le_po%C3%A8te_%28The_Poet%29%2C_oil_on_canvas%2C_59.9_x_47.8_cm%2C_Kunstmuseum%2C_Basel.jpg/220px-Pablo_Picasso%2C_1912%2C_Le_po%C3%A8te_%28The_Poet%29%2C_oil_on_canvas%2C_59.9_x_47.8_cm%2C_Kunstmuseum%2C_Basel.jpg)
Having observed the elections, Pablo Picasso was overwhelmed by the result and invited Franz Meyer to visit him in his Mougins atelier in the south of France. There he would present to the "Youth of Basel"[12] the works Man, Woman and Child (1906) along with the two major later works Venus and Amor and The Couple (both from 1967). He also presented them with a sketch of the renowned Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907). Finally, Maja Sacher-Stehlin donated Picasso's cubist work The Poet (1912) in support of the cultural spirit in the city.[13] In total, seven Picasso artworks became a part of the Kunstmuseum Basel in 1967.[14][13]
Legacy
The referendum had been observed internationally, and the outcome was not expected by journalists who had prepared headlines for a victory of the "no campaign".[12] In 2018, the Kunstmuseum Basel organized an exhibition to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the acquisitions and the events surrounding the referendum.[14][13]
References
- ^ a b "Legendärer Volksentscheid – Das Picasso-Wunder von Basel". Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) (in German). 16 March 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hamilton, Thomas J. (18 December 1967). "Citizens of Basel Vote to Buy Two Early Picassos; Museum Wages Fight Chemical Industry Helps". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c d "Die Sammlung Staechelin im Kunstmuseum Basel" (PDF). Neue Zürcher Zeitung. 20 October 1967. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Meyer, Benedikt (14 March 2021). "Die wahrscheinlich seltsamste Abstimmung der Schweizer Geschichte – Picasso ja oder nein?". higgs (in German). Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ Gerny, Daniel (11 April 2016). "Wie die Basler Picassos Herz eroberten". Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Basels Kampf um die Picasso-Bilder" (PDF). static.nzz.ch. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "The city's art lovers win Picassos". Salt Lake Tribune. 18 December 1967. p. 10.
- ^ a b "Referendum gegen den Ankauf der Picasso Bilder?" (PDF). Neue Zürcher Zeitung. 3 November 1967. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ a b c Hess, Stephanie (6 October 2017). "The miracle of Picasso in Basel". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ "Les deux frères, Frühsommer 1906 (Gósol) Die beiden Brüder The Two Brothers". sammlungonline.kunstmuseumbasel.ch. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "Arlequin assis, 1923 Sitzender Harlekin Seated Harlequin". sammlungonline.kunstmuseumbasel.ch. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ a b ""Franz Meyer war ein Schlitzohr"". TagesWoche (in Swiss High German). 17 January 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ a b c Reifert, Eva (13 January 2018). "Kunst. Geld. Museum. Fünfzig Jahre Picasso-Story | Artinside". Art Inside (in German). Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ a b "50th Anniversary of the Picasso Gift". kunstmuseumbasel.ch. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
Further reading
- Heim, Christoph (2013). "Das Kunstmärchen von Basel: wie Basel 1967 zwei Picassos für das Kunstmuseum kaufte und fünf weitere Bilder geschenkt erhielt". Basler Zeitung (in German). OCLC 884642694.
- Pes, Javier (8 March 2018). "The Fable of the Seven Picassos of Basel: A Lesson for Museums in the Age of Market Madness". Artnet News. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- "Picasso Promises Surprise After Basel Buys 2 Works". The New York Times. 20 December 1967. ISSN 0362-4331.
- "Swiss Vote to Buy Two Picassos: Offered for Sale Unprecedented Question". The Christian Science Monitor. 19 December 1967. p. 2. ProQuest 510969110.
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- Woman with a Fan (1908)
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- Girl with a Mandolin (1910)
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- The Accordionist (1911)
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- La Coiffeuse (1911)
- Violon et Raisins (1912)
- Bottle, Glass, Fork (1912)
- Ma Jolie (1912)
- Arlequin (1913)
- Ma Jolie (1914)
- Three Musicians (1921)
- Reading the Letter (c. 1921)
- The Pipes of Pan (1923)
- The Three Dancers (1925)
- Woman in a Red Armchair (1929)
- Le Repos (1932)
- Girl before a Mirror (1932)
- La Lecture (1932)
- Le Rêve (1932)
- Nude, Green Leaves and Bust (1932)
- Nude in a Black Armchair (1932)
- Femme à la montre (1932)
- Two Girls Reading (1934)
- Jeune Fille Endormie (1935)
- Guernica (1937)
- Portrait of Dora Maar (1937)
- Woman in Hat and Fur Collar (1937)
- The Weeping Woman (1937)
- Girl with a Red Beret and Pompom (1937)
- Femme au béret et à la robe quadrillée (Marie-Thérèse Walter) (1937)
- Maya with Doll (1938)
- Woman's Head (1939)
- Dora Maar au Chat (1941)
- The Charnel House (1944–1945)
- Nature morte au poron (1948)
- Massacre in Korea (1951)
- Les Femmes d'Alger series (1955)
- Las Meninas (1957)
- The Fall of Icarus (1958)
- Bust of a Seated Woman (Jacqueline Roque) (1960)
- Jacqueline (1961)
- Femme au Chien (1962)
- Bust of a Woman (Marie-Thérèse) (1931)
- Tête de femme (Dora Maar) (1941)
- Bull's Head (1942)
- Baboon and Young (1951)
- Figure découpée (1963, 1964, 1965)
- Chicago Picasso (1967)
- Sylvette (1970)
- Vollard Suite (1930–1937)
- Minotaur Kneeling over Sleeping Girl (1933)
- Minotauromachy (1935)
- The Dream and Lie of Franco (1937)
- 347 Series (1968)
- Girl from Majorca (1905)
- Don Quixote (1955)
- Toros y toreros (1961)
- Le Taureau (1945-1946)
- Dove (1949)
- Desire Caught by the Tail (c. 1941)
- The Four Little Girls (c. 1947–48)
- Picasso and the Ballets Russes
- Parade
- The Three-Cornered Hat
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- Mercure
- Musée Picasso (Paris)
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- Château de Boisgeloup (Normandy)
- Olga Khokhlova (first wife)
- Jacqueline Roque (second wife)
- Maya Widmaier-Picasso (daughter)
- Claude Picasso (son)
- Paloma Picasso (daughter)
- Diana Widmaier Picasso (granddaughter)
- Marina Picasso (granddaughter)
- Bernard Ruiz-Picasso (grandson)
- José Ruiz y Blasco (father)
(France)
- Bateau-Lavoir (Montmartre Paris)
- Villa La Vigie (Juan-les-Pins, Summer 1924)
- Château de Boisgeloup (Gisors, 1930-1937)
- Château of Vauvenargues (Vauvenargues, 1958-1962)
- Villa La Californie (Cannes, 1955-1961)
- Château de Vie (Mougins, 1961-1973)
television about
- Visit to Picasso (1949)
- Guernica (1950)
- The Mystery of Picasso (1956)
- The Adventures of Picasso (1978)
- Surviving Picasso (1996)
- Picasso: Magic, Sex & Death (2001)
- Modigliani (2004)
- Genius (2018 TV series)
- Carles Casagemas
- Carl Nesjar
- Lydia Corbett
- Lump (dog)
- Fundación Picasso
- Picasso. In the heart of darkness (1939-1945) (2019-2020 exhibition)
- Picasso & Lump (2006 book)
- Picasso referendum of Basel
- Theft of The Weeping Woman from the National Gallery of Victoria
- Portrait of Pablo Picasso (1915 painting)
- "If I Told Him: A Completed Portrait of Picasso" (1924 poem)
- Woman, Bird, Star (Homage to Pablo Picasso) (1973 painting)
- "Pablo Picasso" (1976 song)
- The Blue Guitar (1977 etchings)
- Picasso at the Lapin Agile (1993 play)
- Picasso (crater)