Art seen through the collector’s eye

Jean Planque's collection includes works by Picasso, Klee and Dubuffet. Jean Planque's collection

Many little-known works by some of the 20th century's finest artists - including Picasso, Klee and Dubuffet - are being seen in public for the first time, as the Hermitage Foundation in Lausanne unveils the private collection of the late Swiss art lover, Jean Planque.

Planque, who died three years ago, was a friend of many leading artists, whom he met through his work as an adviser to the Beyeler Gallery in Basel.

“It’s very interesting because the choices of a private collector are very different to those of a museum,” says Giselle Eberhardt, curator of the exhibition: “Picasso, Klee Dubuffet … Collection Jean Planque”, which runs until August 26.

“These works are very fresh, because they have not been seen very often and when you see 170 of them, you see the coherence of the collection,” she told swissinfo.

There are many highlights awaiting the visitor, from two entire rooms of late Picassos to virtually unseen pieces by Monet, Degas, Gauguin and Van Gogh.

Planque was never fabulously rich, so there are few masterpieces. But his work gave him unrivalled access to their work. And his choices were intriguing. As an artist himself, Planque appreciated the painter’s craft. What appealed to him most were works by artists, who used texture and strove to change the way art was viewed.

20th century painters

The collection is dominated by 20th century painters because it was built up largely as a result of Planque’s friendship with the artists themselves.

“Jean Planque did not think much about collecting. He bought when he had the chance to do so at a reasonable price. He got most of his paintings from friends,” says Eberhardt.

As a result, there are several canvasses by Jean Dubuffet, with whom Planque had a long friendship: “He collected the paintings he saw Dubuffet create during that period. He bought none of the painter’s earlier works,” the curator explains.

Planque clearly had his favourite contemporary artists. As well as Dubuffet and Picasso, there are many works by Roger Bissière, Alex Kosta and Walter Scüpfer.

There is also a solid contingent of works by Swiss artists on display, chief among them, René Auberjonois and Hans Berger.

“He lived here, grew up in canton Vaud, came back after he left Paris, and died here. He was aware of the artists in the area,” Eberhardt explains.

The period when Planque was able to buy paintings coincided with his work for Ernst Beyeler, the great Basel gallery owner. From 1954, Planque was Beyeler’s “eyes” in Paris. His job was to scour the galleries of the French capital, discover new artists and send the paintings back to Basel for Beyeler to sell.

An unexpected delight is a pair of late Claude Monet paintings, given to him by the artist’s son, Michel, in gratitude for Planque’s advice to donate his father’s late work to the French state.

Michel Monet believed that the canvasses were worthless because his father’s eyesight had deteriorated in his later years. Planque convinced him otherwise.

Sitting alongside the Monets, Picassos and Klees are several works by Planque himself. He was an enthusiastic painter, although he always refused to show his work publicly, even though it does not look out of place alongside its illustrious companions.

“For us, it was important for us to show that he was a painter, too. And he was a reasonable painter. But he was totally inhibited by his job,” says Eberhardt. “He painted everyday, but he thought his paintings were rubbish, which is a bit sad.”

The Hermitage in Lausanne is the first stop on a European tour. The collection will also be shown in Winterthur, Barcelona, Marseilles and Paris. After that, its future is uncertain.

“Jean Planque wanted the collection eventually to find a home in canton Vaud, in what he called a ‘poor museum’,” Eberhardt explains.

“What is clear is that it cannot be sold, only loaned. It will remain the property of the Planque Foundation,”

Coinciding with the Hermitage exhibition is a rare exhibition of engravings by Pablo Picasso, also owned by the Planque Foundation. These 347 often highly erotic works were produced by the great Spanish artist shortly before his death. They are on show at the Jenisch Museum, the cantonal engravings museum, in Vevey until September 9.

by Roy Probert