Andreas Burckhardt, you are recognized in Basel as a visionary, a talented business leader, and a patron of the arts. What drove you to devote yourself so fervently to civil society?
“My personal commitment is based on the belief that it is our duty to give something back for the much we receive and that a community can only thrive if everyone contributes to the common good.”
You come from a family with a long tradition: how has the Burckhardt family contributed to the cultural development of Basel over time and which specific projects or initiatives have been particularly important to your family?
"In fact, our founder, Christoph Burckhardt, came to Basel from neighboring Germany in the 16th century. Today his descendants are so numerous and diverse that we should actually be talking about several families, even though they all bear the same name. The Burckhardts are involved in many different areas, not only in Basel. Among them are scientists, politicians, artists and art lovers, but also people who are socially engaged. There are also people who do not like to appear in public at all. In summary, I would still say that many of the Burckhardts are in some way engaged in the res publica."
Which family members have made a particularly significant contribution to Basel?
«Some of our family's outstanding women have distinguished themselves through their social commitment. Anna Elisabeth Burckhardt-Vischer, for example, laid the foundation for the Basel Children's Hospital in 1846, while Margarethe Merian, née Burckhardt and wife of Christoph Merian, was the founder of the Christoph Merian Foundation, an institution of great importance for Basel.
Other figures certainly deserve mention in the last two hundred years, such as the historian and professor Jakob Burckhardt and his son Carl Jakob Burckhardt, also a historian and commissioner of the League of Nations in Danzig. I would also like to mention the seven members of the family who were members of the Basel government, the Basel-Stadt National Council and the six members of the National Council. Among the artists, the painter Paul Burckhardt and the sculptor Carl Burckhardt, to whom an exhibition was recently dedicated in Ticino, have made an interesting contribution».
What motivates you personally to become a patron of the arts and culture?
"In the late 30.000s, for example, as Secretary General of Basler Versicherung, I had a task that interested me greatly: answering all requests for donations. Later, as President, I was able to continue the Baloise ART Prize at ART BASEL, which was founded by my predecessor. Every year, Basler Versicherung awards two young artists a prize of XNUMX Swiss francs each and purchases their works. I also had the opportunity to participate in the Baloise Session, of which Basler Versicherung is the main sponsor and naming sponsor. It is a fulfilling and exciting task to support artists in close cooperation with accredited specialists."
To what extent does patronage continue to promote artists and cultural and artistic initiatives in Basel today?
"Patronage continues to have a significant impact on the city. The new theater was largely financed by a group of Basel women. Corporations support or found museums, such as the Tinguely Museum in Roche, and promote and even organize concerts and cultural events. Sculptures exhibited in public spaces are often the result of donations. Small-scale patronage, now known as "crowd funding", also works, although no longer as spectacularly as in 1967, when a popular festival and a vote of citizens to buy some Picasso paintings were organized."
What challenges do you see for patronage in Basel today, especially in a rapidly changing society like ours?
"Unfortunately, the attitude of taking on the problems of the community, whether through voluntary work or donations, is generally fading. More and more people are thinking only or primarily of themselves and their own interests. This can be seen in many areas. Basel is no exception. In Basel too, ideological battles and government measures driven by petty interests are frightening many citizens, especially those with a certain financial wealth, and are pushing them to withdraw. The same goes for companies."
How can future generations be inspired by Basel's current patrons to support the arts themselves?
"Every philanthropic initiative in favor of the community, whether in the form of work, volunteering or, as far as possible, financial support, has its origins in the family context. It is there that the understanding of culture is promoted or not and the new generation is introduced to art. Every philanthropic initiative in favor of the community, whether manifested through work, personal volunteering, or, when economic circumstances allow it, through donations, has its origins in the context of family education. Finally, I would add that role models are important: a muse can play a crucial role also in patronage."
Dr. Elisa Bortoluzzi Dubach , a consultant in Public Relations, Sponsorships and Foundations, is a lecturer at various universities and higher education institutes in Switzerland and Italy and co-author of, among others, The Generous Relationship - A Guide to Collaborating with Philanthropists and Patrons.
