Bruno Stefanini (5 August 1924 – 14 December 2018) was a Swiss real estate investor and art collector.

Life

Born on 5 August 1924 in

Winterthur , neighboring_municipalities = Brütten, Dinhard, Elsau, Hettlingen, Illnau-Effretikon, Kyburg, Lindau, Neftenbach, Oberembrach, Pfungen, Rickenbach, Schlatt, Seuzach, Wiesendangen, Zell , twintowns = Hall in Tirol (Austria), La ...

, Switzerland, Bruno Stefanini did not come from a wealthy family. He set up his real estate company Terresta AG next to the restaurant run by his father on Marktgasse in Winterthur. He passed the entrance examination to the ETH Zurich, completed recruit school and served in the army up to the rank of captain. He abandoned his studies in natural sciences in favor of a career in the real estate industry.

Real estate

Stefanini owned many properties in the city including, part of Steinberggasse in Winterthur's old town. He also owned the Sulzer high-rise building.. In 2009, the city had two properties on Steinberggasse scaffolded because of danger to passers-by. His castles, including Salenstein Castle, also fell into disrepair, leading to media reports. Stefanini owned an estimated 280 properties in Switzerland. His personal history was considered somewhat mysterious and excited interest. He had transferred most of his assets to his foundation, which he set up in 1980.

Foundation for Art, Culture and History

Stefanini invested a large part of his fortune in art. In 2023, the ''New York Times'' estimated his collection at more than 100,000 pieces, including 6,000 oil paintings. His Foundation for Art, Culture and History (Stiftung für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte or SKKG) is one of the most important private art collections in Switzerland, in addition to possessing four castles and various curiosities. Artworks include works by

Ferdinand Hodler Ferdinand Hodler (March 14, 1853 – May 19, 1918) was one of the best-known Swiss painters of the nineteenth century. His early works were portraits, landscapes, and genre paintings in a realistic style. Later, he adopted a personal form of ...

, Albert Anker,

Giovanni Giacometti Giovanni Ulrico Giacometti (7 March 1868 – 25 June 1933) was a Swiss painter. He was the father of artists Alberto and Diego Giacometti and architect Bruno Giacometti. Biography He was the fourth in a family of eight children. His father, ...

, Alberto Giacometti, Giovanni Segantini, Felix Vallotton,

Angelika Kauffmann Maria Anna Angelika Kauffmann ( ; 30 October 1741 – 5 November 1807), usually known in English as Angelica Kauffman, was a Swiss Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Remembered primarily as a history painter, K ...

, Ottilie Roederstein,

Alice Bailly Alice Bailly (25 February 1872 – 1 January 1938) was a Swiss avant-garde painter, known for her interpretations on cubism, fauvism, futurism, her wool paintings, and her participation in the Dada movement. In 1906, Bailly had settled in Paris ...

, Helen Dahm,

Meret Oppenheim In Egyptian mythology, Meret (also spelled Mert) was a goddess who was strongly associated with rejoicing, such as singing and dancing. In myth Meret was a token wife occasionally given to Hapy, the god of the Nile. Her name being a reference ...

and

Niki de Saint Phalle Niki de Saint Phalle (; born Catherine Marie-Agnès Fal de Saint Phalle; 29 October 193021 May 2002) was a French-American sculptor, painter, filmmaker, and author of colorful hand-illustrated books. Widely noted as one of the few female monume ...

. The four castles of Grandson on Lake Neuchâtel, Luxburg and Salenstein in Thurgau, and Brestenberg in Aargau also belong to the foundation. Stefanini owed many unique items and curiosities, including the Rolls-Royce von

Joe Carstairs Marion Barbara 'Joe' Carstairs (1 February 1900 – 18 December 1993) was a wealthy British power boat racer known for her speed, eccentric lifestyle, and gender nonconformity. In the 1920s she was known as the ‘fastest woman on water’. ...

, the death bed and will of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, an officer cap, coat, dagger and pocket watch von General Guisan, and a dress of Kaiserin «Sisi». Only a small part of this collection is open to the public. The value of the entire collection is estimated at over 1.5 billion Swiss francs, the objects at approximately 34,000 pieces. Considered media-shy, Stefanini's last public appearance took place in March 2014 at a vernissage of the

Kunstmuseum Bern The Museum of Fine Arts Bern (German: ''Kunstmuseum Bern''), established in 1879 in Bern, is the museum of fine arts of the de facto capital of Switzerland. Its holdings run from the Middle Ages to the present. It houses works by Paul Klee, Pab ...

. In 2016 the historian Miguel Garcia published a biography in German entitled: ''Bruno Stefanini: Ein Jäger und Sammler mit hohen Idealen.''

Legacy

On 17 December 2014 the foundation was the object of a dispute. The descendants Bettina and Vital Stefanini appointed a new board of trustees before the expiry of the term of office of the board of trustees elected by founder Bruno Stefanini, prompting the intervention of the supervisory authority. The Swiss Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations reversed the step taken by the descendants and reinstated the board of trustees elected by the founder. In an order dated 30 January 2015, the Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations appointed the Bernese lawyer Stephan Herren as administrator. In March 2018, the Federal Supreme Court ruled in favor of Bruno Stefanini's children, the Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations terminated the mandate of the trustee, and daughter Bettina Stefanini took over the presidency of the foundation board. She had returned to Winterthur from Ireland in 2018 to "represent the interests of my father, who suffers from dementia, and his foundation." The previous members of the foundation board had to step down.

Provenance research project

In 2023, the Foundation announced a provenance research project to examine the collection for looted art.

Literature

* Miguel Garcia: ''Bruno Stefanini. Ein Jäger und Sammler mit hohen Idealen.'' Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Zürich 2016, ISBN 978-3-03810-146-8. * Bruno Stefanini im Winterthur Glossar.

Weblinks

«Bruno Stefanini führt durch sein Sulzer Hochhaus»
Radiobeitrag auf

DRS 1 Radio SRF 1 is a Swiss radio channel, one of six operated by Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF), with its headquarters in Zürich. It was launched in 1931 as Radio Beromünster (named after the Beromünster municipality on which its original ...

vom 9. Oktober 2009. * Felix Schindler: , Zeitungsartikel im

Tages-Anzeiger ''Tages-Anzeiger'' (), also abbreviated ''Tagi'' or ''TA'', is a Swiss German-language national daily newspaper published in Zurich, Switzerland. History and profile The paper was first published under the name ''Tages-Anzeiger für Stadt und K ...

von 11. November 2009.
Website der Stiftung für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte
* Florian Schwab, Weltwoche 38/2014

* Reto Flury: ''Der rätselhafte Multimillionär, der sammelte, bis er nicht mehr konnte.'' NZZ, 15. Dezember 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stefanini, Bruno 2018 deaths Swiss art collectors 1924 births