Frieder Burda (* 29 April 1936 in Gengenbach, Baden-Württemberg; † 14 July 2019 in Baden-Baden) was a German art collector and honorary citizen of the city of Baden-Baden. His museum on the Lichtentaler Allee is one of the most important sights in Baden-Baden.
Life
The second-eldest son of the Baden publisher Franz Burda and his wife Aenne Burda was born in Gengenbach in 1936. He spent his childhood in his home town. He went to school in Offenburg and in Switzerland. Frieder Burda then completed apprenticeships as a printer and in publishing and subsequently worked at various companies.
In 1968, at the “documenta 4” in Kassel, he acquired his first work: Lucio Fontana’s slashed red canvas. Partly because he found the picture exciting and partly to provoke his father, who alongside his work as a publisher also collected art himself.[1]
In 1986, after his father’s death, Frieder Burda withdrew from the Burda publishing house and, besides managing various company holdings, devoted himself entirely to his art collection.
To preserve his collection and make it accessible to the public in a museum, Frieder Burda established the “Stiftung Frieder Burda” foundation in 1998. In the race for the museum’s location, Baden-Baden ultimately came out ahead. The southern French town of Mougins, Pablo Picasso’s late residence, had also been considered. In October 2004 the Museum Frieder Burda opened. A year later, Frieder Burda was awarded the honorary citizenship of the city of Baden-Baden.
The foundation is based in the Villa Schriever.
As of 2010, his collection comprised 900 exhibits[1].
References
Literature
- Manfred Söhner: Baden-Baden. Kunst und Kultur entlang der Oos. Aquensis Verlag, Baden-Baden, 2007, ISBN 978-3-937978-10-9