Gottfried Keller Foundation
| Founded | 1890 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Lydia Welti-Escher |
| Focus | arts foundation related to cultural heritage of Switzerland |
| Location | |
| Origins | legacy of Lydia Welti-Escher |
|
Area served
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Switzerland |
| Owner | Switzerland, administrated by the federal Bundesamt für Kultur (BAK) |
|
Key people
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Lydia Welti-Escher |
| Website | Bundesmuseen: Gottfried Keller-Stiftung (BSK) (in German) (in French) |
Gottfried Keller-Stiftung, commonly abbreviated to GKS, meaning Gottfried Keller Foundation, is an arts foundation related to Cultural heritage of Switzerland, named by its founder Lydia Welti-Escher (1858–1891) after the Swiss 'national' poet Gottfried Keller (1819–1891).
By letter dated 6 September 1890, shortly before the end of her tragic life, Lydia Escher (1858–1891) offered to the federal government a generous donation. The entire Federal Council declared on 16 September 1890 the adoption of the gift. The donation consisted of securities (including shares: 63.5 per cent, bonds: 24.9%, remaining: 11.6%) and land including the Villa Belvoir which had a total value of 3.46 million Swiss francs at the end of 1890. The donation is managed as a special funds of the Swiss Federation since 1890 under the name "Gottfried Keller Stiftung" (GKS) by the Federal Department of Finance, and the income of the donation has to be used for the purchase of important works of visual art of Switzerland, to ensure that important works of Swiss art not moving out of the country and remain open to the public.
The in the beginning Welti-Escher-Stiftung, was named Gottfried Keller-Stiftung (GKS) after Gottfried Keller to whom her father gave consistent support. According to the will of Lydia Escher, the foundation was managed by the Swiss Federal Council, thus, Lydia Escher wished to accomplish a patriotic work. The foundation should also promote the independent work of women, at least in the field of the applied of Arts, according to the original intention of the founder. This purpose was adopted – but at the urging of Welti not in the deed of the foundation. The Gottfried Keller Foundation became though an important collection institution for art, but the feminist concerns of Lydia Escher but was not met.
The five members of the foundation are nominated by the Swiss Federal Council every four years. That so-called Foundation Commission (Stiftungskommission) decides on the acquisition of works of art. Either, the foundation pays for a work of art the full purchase price and places it in a museum of its choice, or it is involved in Museum purchases. Nevertheless, the artwork remains the property of the Swiss Confederation.
The foundation aims the acquisition of major works of art from Switzerland and abroad, to entrust them as loans to Swiss museums or to return them to their original locations, such as the choir of the St. Urban's Abbey. Among other, the foundation acquired the St. Georgen Abbey in Stein am Rhein in 1926, and since 1960 it also owns the panorama wall painting of the city of Thun. The purchases of valuable interiors, including Schloss Wülflingen in Winterthur, Maison Supersaxo in Sion and Freuler Palast in Näfels, preserved those Heritage objects at their previous environments. The collection comprises more than 8,500 paintings, sculptures and other art objects in around 110 museums respectively locations in Switzerland.
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