Kornfeld in Zurich in 2004: he passed away this week in his hundreth year.
Keystone / Sigi Tischler
The dealer, collector and researcher, who was a friend of various 20th century big-name artists, died on Thursday in Bern, his gallery said.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/dos
Kornfeld was born in Basel and began his career as a trainee in a Bern auction house, before taking it over in 1951 and re-baptising it Galerie Kornfeld. It would become one of the most renowned addresses in the world for high-quality auctions, the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaperwrote.
Over the years Kornfeld amassed a vast collection. Especially passionate about printmaking, he was a leading authority on and collector of Rembrandt’s etchings, almost all of which he bequeathed to Basel’s Fine Arts Museum. His gallery also published a comprehensive catalogue of the etchings of Paul Klee.
Through his life he developed personal ties with artists including Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Alberto Giacometti, Jean Tinguely, and Niki de Saint Phalle.
Kornfeld also interacted with the controversial German dealer Cornelius Gurlitt, whose collection was transferred to Bern’s Fine Arts Museum in 2014, and which has since come under scrutiny as to its origins.
In 2011 Kornfeld was granted honorary citizenship of Bern; he had previously been awarded an honorary doctorate by the city’s university. He was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by France in 1991, and was awarded Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1984.
Popular Stories
More
Climate adaptation
Why Switzerland is among the ten fastest-warming countries in the world
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Rhine could warm by up to 4°C by 2100, scientists warn
This content was published on
The water temperature of the Rhine River could rise by up to 4.2° degrees Celsius by the end of the century due to the warming planet, scientists warn.
This content was published on
The Federal Council wants to explore the possibilities of joining the European Union’s €800-billion rearmament programme without compromising Swiss neutrality.
Defence Minister Pfister stresses importance of Swiss mission in Balkans
This content was published on
During a visit to the Balkans region last week, Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister met Swisscoy peacekeeping troops in Kosovo.
Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day
This content was published on
On July 14, the Swiss Air Force will take part in the traditional air parade in Paris to mark the French bank holidays with an F/A-18 fighter jet. This is a first for Switzerland.
Swiss launch competition for memorial to Nazi victims
This content was published on
The victims of Nazi Germany are to be commemorated on the Casinoterrasse in Bern. A competition will be held to determine what the site will look like.
This content was published on
The cantonal police of Graubünden in eastern Switzerland have arrested and convicted five cocaine dealers in Chur within a week.
This content was published on
The Swiss business umbrella organisation Economiesuisse and the employers' association broadly support the package of agreements negotiated with the European Union.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss museum examines collection of Nazi-era art dealer
This content was published on
"Taking stock means being accountable" - Bern's museum of fine arts is holding an exhibition on the controversial Gurlitt art collection.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.