February 2019 a Monthly Guide to Living in Basel
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YOUNG PICASSO EXHIBIT • SNOWSHOEING & FONDUE • MUBA • EXPAT EXPO • ART ON ICE Volume 7 Issue 5 CHF 6 6 A Monthly Guide to Living in Basel February 2019 Learn German All Levels: A1–C2 nsh.ch Intensive courses: 3× or 5× per week in the morning Standard courses: 2× per week in the evening or on Saturday morning Register now! 2 Basel Life Magazine / www.basellife.com LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, Starting this February, the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen will be dedicated February 2019 Volume 7 Issue 5 entirely to Pablo Picasso for a couple of months—presenting the ambitious and highly anticipated exhibit “The Young Picasso—Blue and Rose Periods” TABLE OF CONTENTS with some 80 of his early works created between 1901 and 1906, as well as a complimentary show entitled “Beyeler Collection / Picasso Panorama” that will feature 40 additional pieces created between 1907 and 1972. Also Feature Event: "The Young Picasso" 4–5 this month, you should not miss the last edition of Switzerland’s oldest con- sumer fair, the MUBA, which has been an annual highlight in Basel for more than 100 years! This 10-day home show really has something for everyone, Events in Basel: February 2019 6–9 whether you are looking to decorate your home, discover new wines and foods, try on some unique fashion or jewelry, learn through science experi- ments, or visit the special exhibit of insects and lizards, some of which have Fun Outings: Beyond Basel 10–11 never before been seen in Europe. During the colder months, you have the opportunity to expose your children to a multitude of cultural activities in Basel, including children’s theaters, Swiss Culture and Traditions: Cheese Fondue 12–13 musical plays, puppet theater, and a variety of concerts designed specifically for children and their families. Bring them to try out various instruments at Markets and Fairs 14–17 the Musik-Akademie Basel or sign them up for some educational fun at the PetKids Club of the local animal shelter; the kid’s lecture series at Basel’s university; or workshops and classes in art, sciences, and computers. Calendar: February 2019 18–19 If you are in the mood for some wintery fun, there are countless options in addition to skiing, snowboarding, skating, and tobogganing. Enjoy a snow- sculpture festival in Germany; marvel at the famous Mittelallalin Ice Pavil- Sports and Recreation 20–21 ion near Saas Fee; or experience the magic of a night of moonlit snowshoe- ing followed by a cheese fondue dinner, which you can learn more about in our special section on Swiss Culture and Traditions. Workshops, Tours, and Education 22–25 In this issue you can also learn about Basel’s new interactive online 3D city map (MapBS), the first indoor skydiving facility in German-speaking Switzer- land, the annual testing of the alarm system on February 6, and tips to lower Did You Know? 26–27 your energy consumption this winter. Turn the pages to read about the Back- waren Outlet, an environmentally friendly social engagement project that campaigns against food waste and is good for the wallet while helping people Entertainment: Night on the Town 28–35 in need. Last, but certainly not least, you can as always choose from a multitude of Mark Your Calendar: March 2019 35 great evening events for that perfect night out, including concerts; theater; dance; shows; cognac-, absinth-, and wine-tastings; a fabulous horse show; cinema with live orchestra; the Game of Thrones Concert Show; Art on Ice Ticket Office: Get Your Tickets Now! back page with James Blunt; as well as Clubfestival BScene—two days of concerts from the regional music scene. Be sure to visit us at the Expat Expo on February 10, an annual fair that in- troduces expats to many of the products and services available in the Basel area in English. So, there is no need to hibernate this winter—flip the page to start planning your calendar for what is sure to be an exciting month! Christine Pesold Basel Life Magazine Staff: Our cover photo shows one of Basel’s fireboats, which is Editor-in-Chief: moored on the Grossbasel side of the Rhein just below the Christine Pesold Klingental ferry. It is about 30 m (approx. 100 ft) long and Advertising & Subscription Manager / Editor: serves to fight fires on board ships, in the harbor, or along the Susanne Hiller shores, as well as provide emergency services to swimmers and other boats on the Rhein between Rheinfelden to Niffer Design & Print: (France). The crew even had to spring into action during the Die Medienmacher AG, Muttenz celebrations for the 125th anniversary of Basel’s professional fire fighters, when a small boat capsized on the river. The boat For more information about subscribing or advertising – please contact us: can also serve as an icebreaker to clear the way for freighters. info basellife.com In addition to these serious jobs, it displays the spraying capa- www.facebook.com/basellifemagazine bilities of its four water monitors at events such as the annual www.basellife.com celebrations of Swiss National Day on July 31. BASEL LIFE MAGAZINE / BASEL FAMILY GmbH © Copyright 2019. All rights reserved. It is our goal to provide valuable, timely information to our readers. The opinions expressed in the articles in this magazine are those of the contributing authors and do not reflect those of other members of the editorial staff and of any organizations or agencies distributing this magazine. Though we make every attempt to provide accurate information, we cannot be held respon- sible if any event is cancelled, postponed, or modified. We encourage readers to contact the event organizers or their websites to obtain the most current event information. Please note: No part of this periodical may be duplicated in any fashion, or redistributed in any written language, without permission from the executive staff at Basel Family GmbH. If you have any questions, contact Basel Family GmbH staff at: info basellife.com. photo credits: © john varaklis (cover); © kanton basel-stadt / juri weiss (page 3) February 2019 3 Feature Event “The Young Picasso” Comes to Riehen February 3 – May 26 This month, the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen is launching their latest exhibit, “The Young Picasso—Blue and Rose Periods." It is their most ambitious and highest-caliber project yet—and that is saying something, considering the fantastic exhibits they have put on in the past, like the Gauguin and Monet exhibits in recent years. As the title implies, the exhibit focuses on a brief, but crucial period in Pablo Picasso’s long career, presenting works created between 1901 and 1906, when Picasso was in his early to mid-20s. Picasso and Basel these efforts, that he presented the city with three additional paintings The fact that the Fondation Beyeler is staging a Picasso exhibit is not sur- and a drawing that are now part of the museum’s collection. prising, given the special relationship that the city of Basel as well as the Picasso also had a personal relationship with Ernst Beyeler, the Basel museum’s founders, Ernst and Hildy Beyeler, enjoyed with Picasso. gallery owner and art collector who together with his wife Hildy started In the 1960s, the Kunstmuseum Basel was showing two works from the Fondation Beyeler as a home for their private collection. Since the Picasso’s rose period—”The Two Brothers” and “Seated Harlequin”— 1940s, Beyeler had run the eponymous art gallery where around 16,000 that were on loan from Basel art collector Rudolf Staechelin. In 1967, works of arts (paintings, sculptures, and works on paper) passed however, the Staechelin family was planning to sell these paintings through his hands throughout his career. These works included master- abroad because of financial problems, causing an uproar among art- pieces by many of the foremost artists of primarily modern art, includ- loving Baslers. Residents fought to keep the two paintings in town, ing numerous Picasso pieces. Beyeler established personal relation- launching a campaign with the slogan “All You Need Is Pablo.” Indivi- ships with many of the artists and became friends with Picasso in the duals of all ages, including many young people; businesses; and orga- 1950s. When Beyeler visited Picasso in his studio in southern France in nizations collected CHF 2.4 million in big and small donations, and in 1966, the painter even allowed him to select more than 20 pieces for a referendum Baslers approved an additional CHF 6 million of public sale in his gallery. The Beyelers’ own collection included more than funds to acquire the two paintings. The purchase went through, ensur- 30 works (albeit none from the blue and rose periods) that are now part ing that the paintings stayed in Basel. Picasso himself was so moved by of the Fondation’s permanent collection. 4 Basel Life Magazine / www.basellife.com Picasso’s Blue and Rose Periods the world as well as some private collections. Participating museums include, among others, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, Tate Gallery in At the beginning of the 20th century, Picasso was a penniless artist London, Museu Picasso in Barcelona, Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in living first in Spain and then moving to Paris. The year 1901 marked a Madrid, Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, Metropolitan particularly decisive point in his career, especially after a friend, the Museum of Art in New York, National Gallery in Washington D.C., Art Spanish painter Carlos Casagemas, committed suicide. Picasso sank Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, and National Museum of Art in Osaka. The into a depression, withdrawing from his friends.