THE BECHTLER MUSEUM OF ART OPENS TO THE PUBLIC

THE BECHTLER MUSEUM OF ART, CHARLOTTE, NC, THE ONLY MUSEUM DEDICATED TO THE EXHIBITION OF MID-20th CENTURY EUROPEAN ART IN THE SOUTHEAST, OPENED RECENTLY TO THE PUBLIC. TE BUILDING, DESIGNED BY WORLD RENOWNED SWISS ARCHITECT MARIO BOTTA, IS DESTINED TO BECOME AN ICONIC STRUCTURE WITH ITS BOLDLY CANTILEVERED FOURTH FLOOR EXHIBITION GALLERY, SOARING GLASS AND STEEL ATRIUM AND TERRA COTTA EXTERIOR. THE MUSEUM IS NAMED AFTER THE FAMILY OF ANDREAS BECHTLER, A CHARLOTTE RESIDENT AND NATIVE OF SWITZERLAND WHO ASSEMBLED AND INHERITED A COLLECTION OF MORE THAN 1,400 ARTWORKS CREATED BY MAJOR FIGURES OF THE 20th CENTURY MODERNISM AND DONATED IT TO THE PUBLIC TRUST. THE BECHTLER COLLECTION REFLECTS MOST OF THE IMPORTANT ART MOVEMENTS AND SCHOOLS FROM THE 20th CENTURY WITH A DEEP HOLDING OF THE SCHOOL OF PARIS AFTER WORLD WAR II. THE COLLECTION IS COMPRISED OF ARTWORKS BY SEMINAL FIGURES SUCH AS ALBERTO GIACOMETTI, JOAN MIRO, MAX ERNST, EDGAR DEGAS LE CORBUSIER AMONG OTHERS. IN MANY INSTANCES THE HOLDINGS BY A PARTICULAR ARTIST ARE ACROSS VARIOUS MEDIA (PAINTING, SCULPTURE, DRAWING, PRINTS AND DECORATIVE ARTS). SOME WORKS IN THE COLLECTION ARE ALSO ACCOMPANIED BY BOOKS, PHOTOGRAPHS AND LETTERS ILLUSTRATING PERSONAL CONNECTIONS TO THE BECHTLER FAMILY. ONLY A HANDFUL OF THE ARTWORKS IN THE COLLECTION HAVE BEEN ON PUBLIC VIEW IN THE UNITED STATES. UNTIL NOW, THE COLLECTION WAS PRIVATELY HELD BY THE BECHTLER FAMILY AND HAS SINCE BEEN COMMITTED TO THE CITY OF CHARLOTTE.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.bechtler.org