Bruno Bischofberger
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Bruno Bischofberger is an art dealer and gallerist from Zurich, Switzerland.
In 1963 Bischofberger opens his first gallery in Zurich. Initial contacts and first exhibition of American Pop artists 1965: Andy Warhol, Lichtenstein, Rauschenberg, Johns, Wesselman and Oldenburg. In 1968 “First right of refusal” contract with Andy Warhol which lasts until the artists death in 1987.
In 1969 Bischofberger co-founds Andy Warhol‘s Interview Magazine and 1970 produces Warhols movie “L‘Amour“.
He commissions workseries from Warhol such as the „Maos“ [1] in 1971, the „Children Paintings“ in 1982 and the „Collaboration Paintings“ by Warhol Jean-Michel Basquiat and Francesco Clemente in 1984.
In the late 60s and early 70s, Bischofberger not only organizes Pop-Art exhibitions, but shows also artists of the Nouveau Réalisme such as Yves Klein and Jean Tinguely (later Bischofberger publishes Tinguelys Catalogue Raisonné). In 1966 he is the first to show works by Gerhard Richter outside of Germany.
In the 70s follow a series of one-man exhibitions and installations of Minimal and Conceptual artists: Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, On Kawara, Joseph Kosuth, Sol Lewitt, Bruce Nauman and others. Works by modern classics such as Picasso, Matisse and Léger are added to the gallery‘s program. From 1970 to 1977 Thomas Ammann works for Bischofberger both in his Zurich as well as St. Moritz gallery.
As from 1979 Bruno Bischofberger predominantly shows works by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Julian Schnabel, David Salle, Francesco Clemente, Enzo Cucchi, Miquel Barceló, George Condo, Peter Halley and Mike Bidlo. In 1982 Bischofberger starts to show Basquiat on an exclusive basis. The gallery publishes books on most of the above artists and is instrumental in organising exhibitions, Museum retrospectives etc.. Today Bruno Bischofberger additionally represents Ettore Sottsass, the renowned contemporary architect and designer. Since 1995 Bischofberger's gallery is being directed by Tobias Mueller.
Bischofberger was portrayed by Dennis Hopper in the 1996 film Basquiat.
