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Jasper Johns: Working Proofs
326 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
2 people want to read
About the author
Christian Geelhaar
19 booksChristian Geelhaar, a former director of the Basel Kunstmuseum and one of the most respected art historians and curators of his generation.
Mr. Geelhaar, was born in 1939 in Bern, was a Picasso scholar and an advocate of postwar American art who was also at home with the art of the Middle Ages and the Northern Renaissance. His first interest, evident in drawings that he began making while quite young, was in shoe design. Immediately after graduating from high school, he was hired by Bally and spent five years designing shoes in a London studio.
In the mid-1960's, he returned to school, studying art history at the University of Bern, where he wrote his dissertation on the work of Paul Klee. In the early 1970's, Mr. Geelhaar worked in museums in Bern and Cologne, Germany. Museum Director at 41.
Mr. Geelhaar was named curator of modern art at the Basel Kunstmuseum in 1977. In 1980, when he was only 41, he succeeded Franz Meyer as director of the museum. During this period, he gained attention among Picasso scholars for establishing that Picasso's monumental proto-Cubist still life, "Bread and Fruitdish on a Table," of 1909 (collection Basel Kunstmuseum), was based on an earlier study for an unexecuted picture of a banquet scene.
At Basel, Mr. Geelhaar organized or collaborated on major exhibitions, including "Jasper Johns: Working Proofs" (1980), "Picasso: Theme Cycles of the Late Work, 1964-72" (1981), "Monet: Les Nympheas" (1986), "Douglas Cooper and the Cubist Masters" (1987-88) and "Paul Cezanne: The Bathers" (1989). During his tenure, the museum acquired rare early works by Mr. Johns, Frank Stella and Barnett Newman, as well as paintings by Delacroix, Renoir, Monet, Rubens and Hans Holbein the Elder. Mr. Geelhaar resigned from the directorship in 1990.
In addition to his exhibition catalogues, Mr. Geelhaar published "Paul Klee and the Bauhaus" (1973) and "Paul Klee: Life and Work" (1974). His most recent book, concerning Picasso and his collectors, was published in Switzerland last year.
Mr. Geelhaar, was born in 1939 in Bern, was a Picasso scholar and an advocate of postwar American art who was also at home with the art of the Middle Ages and the Northern Renaissance. His first interest, evident in drawings that he began making while quite young, was in shoe design. Immediately after graduating from high school, he was hired by Bally and spent five years designing shoes in a London studio.
In the mid-1960's, he returned to school, studying art history at the University of Bern, where he wrote his dissertation on the work of Paul Klee. In the early 1970's, Mr. Geelhaar worked in museums in Bern and Cologne, Germany. Museum Director at 41.
Mr. Geelhaar was named curator of modern art at the Basel Kunstmuseum in 1977. In 1980, when he was only 41, he succeeded Franz Meyer as director of the museum. During this period, he gained attention among Picasso scholars for establishing that Picasso's monumental proto-Cubist still life, "Bread and Fruitdish on a Table," of 1909 (collection Basel Kunstmuseum), was based on an earlier study for an unexecuted picture of a banquet scene.
At Basel, Mr. Geelhaar organized or collaborated on major exhibitions, including "Jasper Johns: Working Proofs" (1980), "Picasso: Theme Cycles of the Late Work, 1964-72" (1981), "Monet: Les Nympheas" (1986), "Douglas Cooper and the Cubist Masters" (1987-88) and "Paul Cezanne: The Bathers" (1989). During his tenure, the museum acquired rare early works by Mr. Johns, Frank Stella and Barnett Newman, as well as paintings by Delacroix, Renoir, Monet, Rubens and Hans Holbein the Elder. Mr. Geelhaar resigned from the directorship in 1990.
In addition to his exhibition catalogues, Mr. Geelhaar published "Paul Klee and the Bauhaus" (1973) and "Paul Klee: Life and Work" (1974). His most recent book, concerning Picasso and his collectors, was published in Switzerland last year.
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