Photo: Ernst Beyeler, Pehr Hallsten, and Tobey in the garden at 69 Saint Alban Vorstadt, Basel (l.t.r.).  Mark Tobey Papers, MSCUA, University of Washington Libraries, UW22203

In 1960 Mark Tobey (* 1890 Trempealeau,  + 1976 Basel) moved his main residence and workplace from Seattle to Basle, Switzerland. Tobey, one of the great pioneers of modern American painting, was seventy years old at the time and at the peak of his international fame. From that point on, Tobey found a strong supporter in one of the leading galleries in the world, the Beyeler gallery in Basle. A series of exhibitions followed, all accompanied by catalogs of standard-setting quality. The last Tobey show to date at the Galerie Beyeler, in 1990, celebrated the painter’s one-hundredth birthday; paintings by Mark Rothko were also shown. Both painters, who represented the United States at the 1958 Venice Biennial, knew each other well and appreciated each other’s work. Ernst Beyeler and his wife, Hildy, spent a great deal of time with Tobey during the last phase of his life, of which little is known, owing to his discreet lifestyle. Beyeler kindly agreed to answer a few questions about his personal memories of Tobey and his last years in Basle. Matthias Bärmann conducted the interview.