Hans and Bessie Bechtler

The origin of the Bechtler collection began with a love for the arts among one particular Swiss family. Anna Bechtler, mother of Hans and Walter, painted passionately in her free time, and instilled in her sons a deep respect and interest in the visual arts. When the two brothers went into business together after WWII, it was part of their company’s philosophy that the atmosphere of the work environment should be as pleasant as possible to ensure that workers were happy and motivated. This philosophy extended to the inclusion of art in the workplace. In the 1950s, the Bechtler family began to form deep and lasting relationships with artists in Europe and Hans became the chairman of the board of the Kunsthaus Zurich for many years. After acquiring property in Ancona, the Italian region of Switzerland, the Bechtler family came in contact with an artistic colony that included the artists Ben Nicholson, Julius Bisser, Italo Valenti, Emilio Stanzani, Gianfredo Camesi, Marino Marini, Jean ARP, Raffael Benazzi, and Remo Rossi. These personal contacts, in addition to the ones made in Zurich with artists such as Jean TInguely and Niki de Saint Phalle, provided opportunities for the family to acquire work directly from artists and thus the Bechtler collection was born.