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2026-05-09

FOR ART – A Temporary Art Intervention by Littmann Kulturprojekte. Basel 2025–2028

A Turning Point in Patronage: The Burckhardt Collection at FOR ART Basel

The exhibition “Collection Martin and Veronika Burckhardt – Of private Treasures and Public Commitment” is on view at FOR ART Basel. It brings together works from the heirs’ collection as well as from the Karl-August-Burckhardt-Koechlin Fund, and raises questions about the future of private engagement in the arts. More on this in the Kulturzeit program on 3sat, broadcast on May 6, 2026.

A Turning Point in Patronage

Klaus Littmann, a student of Beuys and companion of Tinguely, opened on May 5 at FOR ART Basel the exhibition “Collection Martin and Veronika Burckhardt – of Private Treasures and Public Commitment,” which presents works from the community of heirs as well as from the Karl-August-Burckhardt-Koechlin Fund at the Kupferstichkabinett of the Kunstmuseum Basel.

Alongside the private collection—including works by Mario Merz, Markus Raetz, Dieter Roth, Louise Bourgeois, and Joseph Beuys—private photographs from the couple’s villa are also on display.

Following the passing of the Burckhardt couple in Basel, Switzerland is losing yet another pair of major art patrons, after Werner Merzbacher (Kunsthaus Zürich). What will happen to this substantial estate? And what direction will private patronage in the arts take in the future? (3sat / Kulturzeit)

More on this in the Kulturzeit program on 3sat, from minute 24:22 of the May 6, 2026 broadcast.

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