Bruno Stefanini (5 August 1924 – 14 December 2018) was a Swiss real estate investor and art collector. His net worth was estimated at almost 1 billion

Swiss Francs The Swiss franc, or simply the franc, is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia which is surrounded by Swiss territory. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) i ...

Handelszeitung The ''Handelszeitung'' is a German-language Swiss weekly newspaper. The paper was established in 1861 being the oldest business newspaper in Switzerland. It is controlled by Axel Springer Schweiz AG. The paper is published on Wednesdays and has ...

Early life and education

Stefanini was born 5 August 1924, the second of two children, to Giuseppe Antonio Stefanini (1894–1973), a innkeeper, and Elisabeth Katharina Stefanini (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Hüppi; 1894–1983), into a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

family. He had an older brother, Aldo Stefanini (born 1921). His father, Giuseppe, was originally from Italy and was

naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

Swiss citizen The primary law governing nationality of Switzerland is the Federal Act on Swiss Citizenship, which came into force on 1 January 2018. Switzerland is a member state of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the Schengen Area. All Swiss ...

living in Winterthur in 1928. His mother originally hailed from

Glarus Glarus (; ; ; ; ) is the capital of the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Since 1 January 2011, the municipality of Glarus incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern.Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

. In 1930, Giuseppe and Katharina, took-over the working class restaurant ''zum Salmen'' which was owned by an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

workers cooperative A worker cooperative is a cooperative owned and self-managed by its workers. This control may mean a firm where every worker-owner participates in decision-making in a democratic fashion, or it may refer to one in which management is elected by ...

. Giuseppe served as the president of the cooperative between 1935 and 1965. Through his role, he received the

first right of refusal Right of first refusal (ROFR or RFR) is a contractual right that gives its holder the option to enter a business transaction with the owner of something, according to specified terms, before the owner is entitled to enter into that transactio ...

, to off market real estate deals, which enabled him to acquire 18 apartments and create modest affluence. His teacher did not recommend him to complete the

Matura or its translated terms (''mature'', ''matur'', , , , , ', ) is a Latin name for the secondary school exit exam or "maturity diploma" in various European countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech ...

, mainly due to his

working class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

background. He completed his Matura and passed the entry exam to

ETH Zurich ETH Zurich (; ) is a public university in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 1854 with the stated mission to educate engineers and scientists, the university focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. ETH Zurich ran ...

, where he studied several semesters but did not graduate. He abandoned his plans to graduate with a degree in

natural sciences Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...

to pursue real estate full-time.

Career

Real estate

Bruno Stefanini auf Bodenseeschiff Archiv SKKG

Stefanini owned many properties in the city including, part of Steinberggasse in Winterthur's old town. He also owned the Sulzer high-rise building.. In 2009, the city had two properties on Steinberggasse scaffolded because of danger to passers-by. His castles, including Salenstein Castle, also fell into disrepair, leading to media reports. Stefanini owned an estimated 280 properties in Switzerland. His personal history was considered somewhat mysterious and excited interest. He had transferred most of his assets to his foundation, which he set up in 1980.

Foundation for Art, Culture and History

Stefanini invested a large part of his fortune in art. In 2023, the ''New York Times'' estimated his collection at more than 100,000 pieces, including 6,000 oil paintings. His Foundation for Art, Culture and History (Stiftung für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte or SKKG) is one of the most important private art collections in Switzerland, in addition to possessing four castles and various curiosities. Artworks include works by

Ferdinand Hodler Ferdinand Hodler (March 14, 1853 – May 19, 1918) was a Swiss painter. He is one of the best-known Swiss painters of the nineteenth century. His early works were portraits, landscapes, and genre paintings in a realistic style. Later, he ad ...

, Albert Anker,

Giovanni Giacometti Giovanni Ulrico Giacometti (7 March 1868 – 25 June 1933) was a Swiss painter. He was the father of artists Alberto and Diego Giacometti and architect Bruno Giacometti. Biography He was the fourth in a family of eight children. His father, ...

, Alberto Giacometti, Giovanni Segantini, Felix Vallotton,

Angelika Kauffmann Maria Anna Angelika Kauffmann ( ; 30 October 1741 – 5 November 1807), usually known in English as Angelica Kauffman, was a Swiss Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Remembered primarily as a history painter, K ...

, Ottilie Roederstein, Alice Bailly, Helen Dahm,

Meret Oppenheim In Egyptian mythology, Meret (also spelled Mert) was a goddess who was strongly associated with rejoicing, such as singing and dancing. In myth Meret was a token wife occasionally given to Hapi, the god of the Nile flood. Her name being a ref ...

and

Niki de Saint Phalle Niki de Saint Phalle (; born Catherine Marie-Agnès Fal de Saint Phalle; 29 October 193021 May 2002) was a French sculptor, painter, filmmaker, and author of colorful hand-illustrated books. Widely noted as one of the few female monumental sculp ...

. The four castles of Grandson on Lake Neuchâtel, Luxburg and Salenstein in Thurgau, and Brestenberg in Aargau also belong to the foundation. Stefanini owed many unique items and curiosities, including the

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von

Joe Carstairs Marion Barbara 'Joe' Carstairs (1 February 1900 – 18 December 1993) was a wealthy British power boat racer known for her speed, eccentric lifestyle, and gender nonconformity. In the 1920s, she was known as the ‘fastest woman on water’ ...

, the death bed and will of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, an officer cap, coat, dagger and pocket watch von General Guisan, and a dress of Kaiserin «Sisi». Only a small part of this collection is open to the public. The value of the entire collection is estimated at over 1.5 billion Swiss francs, the objects at approximately 34,000 pieces. Considered media-shy, Stefanini's last public appearance took place in March 2014 at a vernissage of the

Kunstmuseum Bern The Museum of Fine Arts Bern (German: ''Kunstmuseum Bern''), established in 1879 in Bern, is the museum of fine arts of the de facto capital of Switzerland. Collections Its holdings run from the Middle Ages to the present. It houses works by Pa ...

. In 2016 the historian Miguel Garcia published a biography in German entitled: ''Bruno Stefanini: Ein Jäger und Sammler mit hohen Idealen.''

Legacy

On 17 December 2014 the foundation was the object of a dispute. The descendants Bettina and Vital Stefanini appointed a new board of trustees before the expiry of the term of office of the board of trustees elected by founder Bruno Stefanini, prompting the intervention of the supervisory authority. The Swiss Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations reversed the step taken by the descendants and reinstated the board of trustees elected by the founder. In an order dated 30 January 2015, the Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations appointed the Bernese lawyer Stephan Herren as administrator. In March 2018, the Federal Supreme Court ruled in favor of Bruno Stefanini's children, the Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations terminated the mandate of the trustee, and daughter Bettina Stefanini took over the presidency of the foundation board. She had returned to Winterthur from Ireland in 2018 to "represent the interests of my father, who suffers from dementia, and his foundation." The previous members of the foundation board had to step down.

Provenance research project

In 2023, the Foundation announced a provenance research project to examine the collection for looted art.

Personal life

In 1961, Stefanini married Veronika Winiger (born 1934), with whom he had three children. * Christoph Adrian Stefanini (1962–1988), committed suicide after a dispute over career plans with his father, died aged 26. * Dr. Bettina Stefanini (born 1965) * Vital Stefanini (born 1969) The Stefanini family initially lived in a modest apartment in Veltheim, Aargau, which became too small for the growing family in 1969. Between 1969–1971 the family resided in a dilapidated mansion on Rychenberg in

Winterthur Winterthur (; ) is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. With over 120,000 residents, it is the country's List of cities in Switzerland, sixth-largest city by population, as well as its ninth-largest agglomeration with about 14 ...

, which Stefanini planned to renovate. However, his marriage ended in divorce and his former wife and children relocated to

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

. He was known for being extremely modest, frugal and media shy. He was also a

hoarder Hoarding is the gathering and storing of goods. Hoarding may also refer to: Animal and human behavior * Hoarding (animal behaviour), an animal behaviour related to storing surplus goods for later use * Hoarding (economics), the practice of ob ...

who continually allowed his real estate holdings to fall into disrepair. In the

Swiss Armed Forces The Swiss Armed Forces (; ; ; ; ) are the military and security force of Switzerland, consisting of land and air service branches. Under the country's militia system, regular soldiers constitute a small part of the military and the rest are ...

, Stefanini held the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. Stefanini died 14 December 2018 in Winterthur aged 94 after a long battle with

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

Literature

* Miguel Garcia: ''Bruno Stefanini. Ein Jäger und Sammler mit hohen Idealen.'' Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Zürich 2016, ISBN 978-3-03810-146-8. * Bruno Stefanini im Winterthur Glossar.

References

External links

«Bruno Stefanini führt durch sein Sulzer Hochhaus»
Radiobeitrag auf DRS 1 vom 9. Oktober 2009. * Felix Schindler: , Zeitungsartikel im

Tages-Anzeiger ''Tages-Anzeiger'' (), also abbreviated ''Tagi'' or ''TA'', is a Swiss German-language national daily newspaper published in Zurich, Switzerland. History and profile The paper was first published under the name ''Tages-Anzeiger für Stadt und K ...

von 11. November 2009.
Website der Stiftung für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte
* Florian Schwab, Weltwoche 38/2014

* Reto Flury: ''Der rätselhafte Multimillionär, der sammelte, bis er nicht mehr konnte.'' NZZ, 15. Dezember 2018. {{DEFAULTSORT:Stefanini, Bruno 2018 deaths Swiss art collectors 1924 births