Art is almost like a religion. It is what I believe in. It is what gives my life dimension beyond the material world we live in。--Hannelore B. Schulhof

Hannelore B. and Rudolph B. Shulhof

The Peggy Guggenheim Foundation is certainly one of the highlights of the Venetian art scene: its location along the main water channel, its hidden but spacious sculpture garden with historical masterpieces as well as conceptual new adds, its roof terrace now open for special events and Italian-style aperitifs have made it a must-see venue during the four seasons. This year the already wide-ranging and varied collection has been enriched by a significant donation from Hannelore B. and Rudolph B. Shulhof Collection. Featuring more than eighty works by international artists from different generations spanning from sculpture to painting and photography, the Shulhof Collection is hosted on the premises of the Peggy Guggenheim Foundation since October 2012, when a first body of work was installed at Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, the home for 30 years of legendary collector Peggy Guggenheim. In May 2013 on the occasion of the opening of the 55th Venice Biennale, a second part of the donation was set in the same historical venue. A gift bequeathed after Hannelore’s passing away last year, the body of work on permanent view reflects the common values at the basis of collecting shared by both the Shulhof’s and by Peggy Guggenheim, whom the couple met in 1954 at the Venice Biennale when they were guests at her home. Since their first encounter the couple deeply admired Peggy’s daring and generous attitude in both collecting and life. As highlighted by Hannelore and Rudolph’s son Michael P. Schulhof: “Venice and Peggy Guggenheim had a strong influence on how the Schulhof Collection came to be formed. It is fitting that these works take their place at the museum and add to the many wonderful reasons why Venice plays such an important role in the world of modern art .” Philip Rylands, director of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, noted that Peggy Guggenheim’s departure from New York in 1947 and the start of her life in Venice coincided with the end of her activities as a collector, while the “Schulhof’s began their collecting where Peggy left off, so their collection represents a perfect fit, extending and enriching seamlessly the Venice museum’s post-war art with great works by great artists.”

Peggy Guggenheim in her Venetian home. In Venice, she was known as “The American lady with dogs”

Alexander Calder’s The Cow, and Stephan Balkenol’s Big Head-Column on the terrace along the Canale Grande.

The Cow(La Vache), 1970 Painted steel, 304.8 x 360.7 x 248.9 cm Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Hannelore B. and Rudolph B. Schulhof Collection, bequest of Hannelore B. Schulhof, 2012 2012.31 © Calder Foundation, New York, by SIAE 2012

View of the Shulhof’s collection installed at the Guggenheim in Venice: Frank Stella, Gray Scramble, 1968–69; Joel Shapiro, Untitled, 1983; Ellsworth Kelly, Green–Red, 1964. Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Venice. Hannelore B. and Rudolph B. Schulhof Collection, bequest of Hannelore B. Schulhof, 2012.

The Schulhof’s met in the late 1930s in Vienna and got married in 1940 in Brussels, they then escaped to the USA before the outbreak of World War II. Hannelore and her family, the Bucks, were able to obtain travel on the Rex, the last ship out of Europe in 1940, and Rudolph was also fortunate enough to obtain a visa into the United States through Canada. After a brief separation the young couple was reunited in New York and Rudolph joined the Buck family business of greeting cards and art reproductions, Reproducta Company. They were praised as collectors already from the 1950s for the refinement and discernment with which they brought together art from both the European and North American continents. Their motto as collectors, as reproduced in the Guggenheim’s 2011 catalogue Hannelore B. and Rudolph B. Schulhof Collection, was: “Buy with your eyes, not with your ears.” Thanks to this attitude, they amassed a massive collection featuring more than 350 pieces, many of which are extremely significant not merely from the market perspective but also from the historical one. Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder, Anish Kapoor, Donald Judd, Afro, Alberto Burri, Tony Cragg, Anselm Kiefer, Jean Dubuffet, Agnes Martin, Richard Serra, Robert Ryman,Lucio Fontana, Yves Klein are just some of the artists selected by the Shulhof’s to be part of their collecting journey. Originally hosted in their spacious house, the pieces were on view on a daily basis. One of the great influences on the shaping of the couple’s  taste and of the Shulhof’s collection was Justin Thannhauser, another leading art collector whose vision paralleled the one of Solomon R. Guggenheim. Thannhauser, who was also a brilliant art dealer, encouraged the couple to look at the art of their time going beyond any borders in terms of genre and place. The fact that from 1965 until Thannhauser’s death in 1976 (when his collection formally entered the Guggenheim’s holdings), the Thannhauser Collection was on long-term loan to the Guggenheim museum may have also inspired the Shulhof’s vision and nurtured their relationship with the institutions. When the Shulhof’s business took them to Europe, although they were still young collectors, they daringly began collecting the most representative artists of the European art scene. They were able to go beyond any traditional notion of art genres and geographies and therefore did something extraordinary: almost no other collector of their generation was doing anything similar, bringing together artists and artworks on a global scale.

View of the residence of the Shulhof’s filled with artworks.

Tony Cragg Silicate, 1988 Glass and wood, 75 x 300 x 190 cm Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Hannelore B. and Rudolph B. Schulhof Collection, bequest of Hannelore B. Schulhof, 2012 2012.42 © Tony Cragg, by SIAE 2012

Tony Cragg Bottles on a Shelf, 1981 5 plastic bottles on painted wood shelf, 27.9 x 81.3 x 9.5 cm Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Hannelore B. and Rudolph B. Schulhof Collection, bequest of Hannelore B. Schulhof, 2012 2012.43 © Tony Cragg, by SIAE 2012

Jean Dubuffet Portrait of Soldier Lucien Geominne (Portrait du soldat Lucien Geominne), December 1950 Oil-based mixed-media on Masonite, 64.8 x 61.6 cm Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Hannelore B. and Rudolph B. Schulhof Collection, bequest of Hannelore B. Schulhof, 2012 2012.49 © Jean Dubuffet, by SIAE 2012

The Schulhofs' interest in Modern Art goes back to the late 1940s, when Mrs. Shulhof was working as a volunteer at an art exhibit in Long Island. She saw a Pollock's work that had such a profound impact on her that she started to take art courses at the Moma, joined the lectures of art critics, and took her husband to art galleries in New York. When the family business became more successful, it was easier to approach art dealers and being introduced to artists, in order to get a first hand experience of the art world, of what the Schulhof’s liked and could afford to buy.  One of the earliest purchases was a painting, “Yellow Country” in 1957, by Afro, who initiated them to Italian contemporary art and to the artists in Milan, where Rudolph had an office in the 1960s. He and his wife used to visit the Galleria del Naviglio, one of the most successful art galleries in the city, run by the Venetian dealer Carlo Cardazzo who became a  good friend of the couple and sold them a Giuseppe Capogrossi painting and a Jean Arp sculpture. Laura Paulson, Christie’s Deputy Chairman and International Director for Post-War and Contemporary Art, on the occasion of the auction of a portion of the Shulhof’s works held in September 2012 enthusiastically declared: “It is an honour to present this exquisite collection which reflects the unique, inquisitive and pioneering eye of Hannelore and Rudolf Schulhof. The Schulhof’s were actively collecting some of the most important American and European artists well before they were recognized, and developed strong relationships with the artist they collected which enabled them to acquire some of their very best works. The collection perfectly chronicles the international developments in 20th century art, which are rarely seen in American collections. ” “The collection grew over time as my parents continued to buy things,” said Michael P. Schulhof, one the couple’s children. “The new pieces came in, and they tended to take a prominent place on the first floor” before eventually being pushed up to the second and third floors.

Afro Basaldella Yellow Country (Paese giallo), 1957 Oil on canvas, 109.2 x 134.6 cm Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Hannelore B. and Rudolph B. Schulhof Collection, bequest of Hannelore B. Schulhof, 2012 2012.20 © Afro Basaldella, by SIAE 2012

Hannelore Schulhof with the artist Afro Basaldella in Rome, 1965

The Shulhof’s established good friendships with the artists they met, and going through the couple’s archive allows to appreciate the respect and deep affection they felt for the artists they worked with. Both Hannelore and Rudolph believed firmly that it was more satisfying to acquire works from artists they knew, because a relationship with the artist helped place every work within a greater context. If they could not meet or buy directly from the artists, they put their faith in the gallerists who knew their artists most closely. Calder, Marini and Miró were amongst the more established artists in their circle. However, the pair was especially close with younger artists such as Louise Nevelson, and Pol Bury of whom they hosted the wedding at their house. They were deeply captivated by the spiritual quality of Agnes Martin’s work with whom Hannelore Shulhof became close friend. It is no chance occurrence that the Schulhof’s amassed a remarkable collection of works that spans the full scope of the artist’s career, including both paintings and works on paper. Mrs. Shulhof often affectionately recalled the story of the first meeting with Agnes Martin, when Martin approached her at a gallery and asked, “Do you have any of my paintings?” “Yes, ten of them,” Hannelore replied, “Then you must be Mrs. Schulhof!” Martin responded. With Richard Serra they established one of the most lasting and powerful friendship. The couple met him in 1983 to commission the sculpture entitled The Shulhof’s Curve, one of the highlights auctioned at Christie’s in September 2012, sold for $2,882,500. The site-specific sculptural piece was conceived for their garden, and Serra visited the Schulhof’s house in Kings Point, New York to select the appropriate site. He was attracted to a quiet part of the garden and produced a work which interacted flawlessly with its environment and that once completed in 1984 anticipated the art form that later became so prominent in many of Serra’s works. The pair became close also to certain European artists such as the Spanish sculptor Eduardo Chillida. The collection counts four works by the artist including two bronzes, a clay sculpture and a work on paper.

Richard Serra Schulhof's Curve, 1984 COR-TEN steel 111.8 x 1127.8 x 226.1 cm

Eduardo Chillida Estela a Millares (Stele for Millares), 1960-72 Steel, 174 x 160 x 125 cm Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Hannelore B. and Rudolph B. Schulhof Collection, bequest of Hannelore B. Schulhof, 2012 2012.39 © Eduardo Chillida, by SIAE 2012

During their life, the couple kept all the works they bought, and became celebrated benefactors of the arts for their philanthropic inclination and wide interests. Each of them served on numerous museum boards and foundations, including CIMAM and the American Federation of Arts. Mr. Schulhof was a trustee of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation from 1993 until his death in 1999, while Mrs. Schulhof was a Charter (Founding) Member of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection Advisory Board in 1980, until her death, on February 23, 2012. Rudolph was a founding director of the Israel Museum in 1965 and they were long-standing supporters of the institution. The pair gave the Israel Museum a James Turrell skyspace installation, Space That Sees, 1992. It is not surprising that Lorenzo Ornaghi, Italy’s Minister of Culture praised the Shulhof’s generous donation during a formal opening ceremony last autumn: “The Guggenheim represents, in the magical setting of the Lagoon City, an inevitable tourist and cultural destination for those passionate about art and for visitors from the world over. Henceforth, it will surely be an even greater attraction, thanks to the more than 80 works that the Schulhof’s have chosen to donate.”

Anthony Caro LAL, 1966 Painted steel, 243.8 x 76.2 x 20.3 cm Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Hannelore B. and Rudolph B. Schulhof Collection, bequest of Hannelore B. Schulhof, 2012 2012.34 © Anthony Caro, by SIAE 2012

Jenny Holzer

Go Where People Sleep...(from the Survival series), 1983-85 Indian red granite, 45.7 x 106.7 x 43.2 cm Edition 1/2 Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Hannelore B. and Rudolph B. Schulhof Collection, bequest of Hannelore B. Schulhof, 2012 2012.64 © Jenny Holzer, by SIAE 2012

James Turrell’s work Space That Sees installed in the garden of Israel Museum in Jerusalem thanks to the Shulhof’s generous donation.

Anish Kapoor Untitled, 1993 Sandstone, 91.4 x 109.2 x 144.8 cm Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Hannelore B. and Rudolph B. Schulhof Collection, bequest of Hannelore B. Schulhof, 2012

2012.67 © Anish Kapoor, by SIAE 2012

Currently installed on the terrace of the Guggenheim in Venice, along the main water channel.

Sol LeWitt

Incomplete Open Cube 6/8, 1974 Painted aluminum, 106.7 x 106.7 x 106.7 cm Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Hannelore B. and Rudolph B. Schulhof Collection, bequest of Hannelore B. Schulhof, 2012 2012.76 © Sol LeWitt, by SIAE 2012

Bernd and Hilla Becher

Framework Houses Seigen District, Germany

(Fachwerkhäuser, Siegen Sud-Westfalen), 1988

Gelatin silver prints, 104.1 x 83.8 cm

Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Hannelore B. and Rudolph B. Schulhof Collection, bequest of Hannelore B. Schulhof, 2012

2012.24

© Bernd and Hilla Becher, by SIAE 2012