Walter Feilchenfeldt began his art career in the mid-1960s in the Impressionist Department at Sotheby’s in London, before entering his family firm, which his father established in 1948 in Zürich as a successor company of Kunstsalon Paul Cassirer.

In addition to his activity as an art dealer, he gained a formidable reputation as a Cézanne and van Gogh scholar (co-author of John Rewald’s catalogue raisonné of Paul Cézanne paintings, the new online version at the end of 2014, and  Vincent Van Gogh: The Years in France: Complete Painting 1886-1890, London), writer (By appointment only. Cézanne, Van Gogh and some secrets of Art Dealing) and curator of numerous important exhibitions (Vincent van Gogh: Landscapes; Cézanne: Finished / Unfinished; Degas: The Portraits and  Van Gogh and Early Modern Art).

 

Site internet : walterfeilchenfeldt.ch

Lectures | Essays  | Publications | Exhibitions

Lectures

The *–marked texts of lectures, essays and books are included in the volume « By Appointment Only » (published in German and English)
1981Zürich, Universität, Volkshochschule des Kantons Zürich (21 May)
Kunstsammlungen und Kunstsammler
Händler und Sammler – Sammler und Händler. Wie wird man Kunsthändler*1989

Philadelphia, Museum of Art, Annenberg Symposium (24 June)
Vincent van Gogh: An Example of Reception in Art History

Zürich, Schweizerisches Institut für Kunstwissenschaft (10 January)
Der Kunstsalon Paul Cassirer*

1990

Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Symposium (9 May)
Early Provenances: Vincent van Gogh & Ambroise Vollard*

1991

Essen, Folkwang Museum
Einführung in das Konzept der Ausstellung Van Gogh und die Moderne

1992

München, Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte (26 May)
Der Kunstsalon Paul Cassirer

1994

Berlin, Sotheby’s (13 December)
Der Kunstsalon Paul Cassirer. Kunsthandel in Berlin 1898-1914

1995

Winterthur, Am Römerholz Sammlung Oskar Reinhart (16 May)
Paul Cézanne – Seine grossen Sammler

Philadelphia Museum of Art (7 April)
Ambroise Vollard & Albert Barnes: The Creation of the world’s largest Cézanne Collection

1996

Philadelphia, Museum of Art, Cézanne Symposium (2 June)
Cézanne’s Motives*

Aix-en Provence, Rewald Symposium (10 – 12 July)
Le rôle de John Rewald dans la constitution de collections cézanniennes en Allemagne et aux Etats-Unis

1997

Sydney, Museum of New South Wales (12 February)
John Rewald: The Paintings of Paul Cézanne, A Catalogue Raisonné

Baden, Stiftung Langmatt (4 June)
John Rewald und die Cézanne Forschung

Kunsthaus Zürich (5 June)
John Rewald: The Paintings of Paul Cézanne

2000

Vilnius (4 October)
Looted Art

2003

Güstrow, Barlach Museum (21 August)
Der Kunstsalon Paul Cassirer

2006

Dresden, Galerie Neuer Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen (8. Dezember)
Die Rezeption Cézannes und Van Goghs in Deutschland

2007

LGT Bank, Basel (26 April)
Wie wird man Kunsthändler

2009

Kunstmuseum Basel, (26 April)
«Persönlich», DRS 1
Bernhard Mendes Bürgi and Walter Feilchenfeldt

2013

Osnabrück, Erich Maria Remarque Friedenszentrums (15 May)
Podiumsgespräch mit Thomas F. Schneider and Walter Feilchenfeldt

2015

Museum Oskar Reinhart, Winterthur (31 August)
“The Usual suspects” an der Tagung Fluchtkunst/Raubkunst

Essays
2009 Basel Kunstmuseum, Exhibtion Catalogue:
Vincent van Gogh, Between Earth and Heaven: The Landscapes
Theo van Gogh, Collector of his brother’s Landscape paintings
2004 Hamburg, Kunsthalle, exhibition catalogue: Horst Janssen: Masterdrawings
Observations of an art lover (German)
2004 Maastricht, Art Market Matters,
Scholars and Dealers (English)*
2000 Vienna/Zürich: exhibition catalogue: Cézanne: Finished – Unfinished
On the exhibition; Bathers (German & English)*
1999 New York, IFAR Vol.2, Nr.3, Summer
Doctor Gachet – A friend of Cézanne and Van Gogh? (English)
1998 Sydney, National Gallery of New South Wales, Exhibition Catalogue: Classic Cézanne
Cézanne’s Works on Paper: Towards a Reclassification (English)*
1996 Aix-en-Provence, Colloque Rewald
John Rewald: Cézanne and Germany – Cézanne and America (English)*
1996 John Rewald: The paintings of Paul Cézanne, New York
On the History of this book; On Authenticity; On Sizes and Subjects (English)
1996 Correspondances: commemorative publication for Margret Stuffmann
Cézanne‘s drawings: Small sizes: sketches – big sizes: aquarelles without colour (German)*
1995 Paris/London/Philadelphia, exhibition catalogue:
Cézanne’s Collectors: From Zola to Annenberg (English)
1993 Tübingen, Kunsthalle, exhibition catalogue: Cézanne paintings
On Cézanne‘s reception history in Germany (German)*
1993 The Mythology of Vincent van Gogh, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Philadelphia
Genuine or Fake – On the history and problems of Van Gogh connoisseurship
with Roland Dorn (English)
1990 Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, exhibition catalogue,
Van Gogh and modern art epilogue (Dutch)
1990 Essen, Folkwang Museum, exhibition catalogue: Van Gogh and modern art
Vincent van Gogh: His dealers – his collectors (German & English)
1989 Simiolus, Nederlands Quarterly for the History of Art, Vol.19, Nr.4
Van Gogh Fakes: The Wacker Affair (English)*
1984 Art Magazine „du”, Nr.1/1984
Edgar Degas in Tübingen: The making of an exhibition (German)*
Publications

1981

„Rote Socken hab‘ ich gern“, in: Art Magazine „du”, No. 10, p. 58-59.

1984                 

„Edgar Degas in Tübingen: Zur Entstehung einer Ausstellung“, in: Art Magazine „du”, Vol. 44, No. 1, p. 41-44. *

1988

Vincent van Gogh & Paul Cassirer, Berlin: The Reception of Van Gogh in Germany from 1901 – 1914, Amsterdam Van Gogh Museum, Cahier 2, Uitgeverij Waanders, Zwolle (deutsch & englisch).*

1989

„Van Gogh Fakes: The Wacker Affair“, in: Simiolus, Nederlands Quarterly for the History of Art, Vol. 19, No. 4, S. 289-316.*

1990

„Vincent van Gogh: His Art Dealer – His Collector“, in: Vincent van Gogh and the Modern Movement, 1890-1914, exhibition catalogue Van Gogh and modern art Folkwang Museum, Essen, p. 39-46.

1991

„Vincent van Gogh – verhandeld en verzameld“, in: Vincent van Gogh en de moderne kunst, Exhibition catalogue Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, p. 16-23 (netherlands).

„Epiloog“, in: ebenda, p. 345 (netherlands).

1993                 

„The Early Reception of Cézanne’s Work with Emphasis on Its History in Germany“, in: Cézanne Paintings, Exhibition catalogue Kunsthalle Tübingen, p. 293-312.*

„Genuine or Fake – On the history and problems of Van Gogh connoisseurship“ (in Zusammenarbeit mit Roland Dorn), in: The Mythology of Vincent van Gogh, ed. by Tsukasa Kodera und Yvette Rosenberg, Tokyo & Amsterdam, TV Asahi & John Benjamin Publisher, S. 263-307.

1995

„Cézanne’s Collectors: From Zola to Annenberg“, in: Cézanne, Exhibition catalogue Tate Gallery, London und Philadelphia Museum of Art, p. 570-79.*

1996

„John Rewald: Cézanne and Germany – Cézanne and America“, in: Colloque Rewald, Aix-en-Provence, p. 41-48.*

The Paintings of Paul Cézanne. A Catalogue Raisonné, John Rewald in collaboration with Walter Feilchenfeldt and Jayne Warman, Vol. 1, New York, Harry N. Abrams.

„On the History of this book; On Authenticity; On Sizes and Subjects“, in: ebenda, p. 13-17.*

„Cézannes Zeichnungen: Kleine Formate: Skizzen – Grosse Formate: Aquarelle ohne Farbe“, in: Correspondances: Festschrift für Margret Stuffmann zum 24 November 1996, p. 179-90.*

1998

„Cézanne’s Works on Paper: Towards a Reclassification“, in: Classic Cézanne, Exhibition catalogue National Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, p. 51-60.*

„Portrait de l’artiste regardant par dessus l’épaule“, in: Classics of Modern Art: Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, Exhibition catalogue Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, Museum of Contemporary Art, Andros, p. 46.

1999                 

„Doctor Gachet – A friend of Cézanne and Van Gogh?“, in: IFAR Journal, New York, Vol. 2, No. 3, S. 8-11.*

2000                 

Cézanne: Finished – Unfinished, Exhibition catalogue Kunstforum Wien und Kunsthaus Zürich, ed. by Felix Baumann, Evelyn Benesch, Walter Feilchenfeldt and Klaus Albrecht Schröder, Ostfildern, Hatje Cantz.

„Introduction“, in: ebenda, p. 12-15.*

„Bathers“, in: ebenda, p. 244-67.*

„Wie das Kunsthaus zu seinen Cézanne-Aquarellen kam oder ‘Es muss nicht immer Raubkunst sein’“, in: Kunsthaus Zürich 57 Meisterwerke. Zürich: Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, Kunsthaus Zürich, p. 34-35.

„Vilnius. International Forum on Holocoust Era Looted Cultural Assets“, in: Weltkunst, Vol. 70, No. 14, p. 2380.

2004

„Betrachtungen eines Kunstliebhabers“, in: Horst Janssen: Meisterzeichnungen, Exhibition catalogue Kunsthalle Hamburg, p. 38-39.

2005

By appointment only. Schriften zu Kunst und Kunsthandel Cézanne und Van Gogh, Wädenswil, Nimbus. Kunst und Bücher.

2006

By appointment only. Cézanne, Van Gogh and Some Secrets of Art Dealing. Essays and Lectures, London, Thames and Hudson.

  • How to Become an Art Dealer, p. 11-29.
  • “What is Art Actually” – As Short an Answer as (Im)Possible, p. 31-39.
  • Edgar Degas in Tübingen – The Making of an Exhibition, p. 41-43.
  • Van Gogh and Paul Cassirer Berlin – The History of Van Gogh’s Reception in Germany from 1901 to 1914, p. 45-79.
  • Van Gogh Fakes – the Wacker Affair. Questions on the Authenticity of Works by Vincent van Gogh, p. 81-105.
  • Early Provenances – Vincent van Gogh and Ambroise Vollard, p. 107-21.
  • The History of Cézanne’s Reception in Germany, p. 123-61.
  • Cézanne’s Collectors – From Zola to Annenberg, p. 163-99.
  • Cézanne’s Motifs – An Attempt at a New Grouping, p. 201-17.
  • Cézanne’s Drawings – Towards a Reclassification, p. 219-35.
  • Cézanne’s Paintings – Sizes and Subjects. On Authenicity, p. 237-47.
  • John Rewald: Cézanne and Germany, Cézanne and America, p. 249-57.
  • Doctor Gachet – Friend of Cézanne and Van Gogh? Questions on the Authenticity of Works by Paul Cézanne, p. 259-67.
  • Cézanne: Finished – Unfinished, p. 269-91.
  • After Gauguin’s Visit to Arles – Van Gogh’s Abandoned Paintings, p. 293-305.
  • The Art Dealer as a Purveyor of Culture, p. 309-11.

2008

„‘Urbino‘. Meine erste Begegnung mit Holubitschka“, in: Hans-Jörg Holubitschka. Die Farben von Urbino, ed. by Jens Neubert, Wädenswil, Nimbus. Kunst und Bücher, p. 8-10.

2009

„Theo van Gogh, Collector of His Brother’s Landscape Paintings“, in: Vincent van Gogh. Between Earth and Heaven. The Landscapes, Exhibition catalogue Kunstmuseum Basel, p. 48-57.

Vincent van Gogh. Die Gemälde 1886-1890: Händler, Sammler, Ausstellungen und frühe Provenienzen, Wädenswil, Nimbus. Kunst und Bücher.

2011

„Das Beste aus aller Welt zeigen“ / „Man steht da und staunt“. Kunstsalon Cassirer. Die Ausstellungen. Vol. 1: 1898-1901, Vol. 2: 1901-1905, ed. by Bernhard Echte and Walter Feilchenfeldt, Wädenswil, Nimbus. Kunst und Bücher.

„Edouard Vuillard, Le salon aux trois lampes, rue St. Florentin, 1899“, in: A Feast for the Eyes. The Collection of the Kronenhalle in Zurich, ed. by Dirk Boll, Ostfildern, Hatje Cantz Verlag, p. 59-61.

„Karl Ernst Osthaus und die Werke van Goghs“, in: Das Schönste Museum der Welt. Museum Folkwang bis 1993, Exhibition catalogue Museum Folkwang, Essen, p. 169-77.

„Helmut Lütjens, Paul Cassirer Amsterdam and Max Beckmann“, in: “Come on, now buy a Beckmann too!“ Portrait of the Lütjens Family in the Boijmans van Beuningen, Exhibition catalogue Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam, p. 88-96.

„Les portraits de grand format“, in: Cézanne et Paris, Exhibition catalogue Grand Palais, Paris, p. 126-31.

2012

„Mit Falsch erklären habe ich noch nie Geld verdient. Gedanken zu Echtheitsfragen“, in: Festschrift für Wolfgang Wittrock zum 65. Geburtstag am 1. Mai 2012, ed. by Meike Hoffmann, Andreas Hüneke and Tobias Teumer, Berlin, privately published, p. 29-35, illustrations on p. 278-81.

2013

„Boni und Feilchen. Der Sammler und sein Händler“ / „Boni and Feilchen. The Collector and His Dealer“, in Remarques Impressionisten: Kunstsammeln und Kunsthandel im Exil / Remarques Impressionists Art Collecting and Art Dealing in Exile, Göttingen, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, p. 14-53.

„Die Gemäldesammlung Remarque “ / „The Remarque Collection of Fine Art“, in: ebenda, p. 161ff.

Vincent van Gogh. The years in France. Complete paintings 1886-1890, London, Wilson Publisher.

„Den Sinnen ein magischer Rausch“ / „Ganz eigenartige neue Werte“. Kunstsalon Cassirer. Die Ausstellungen 1905 bis 1910, Vol. 3: 1905-08, Vol. 4: 1908-10, ed. by Bernhard Echte and Walter Feilchenfeldt, Wädenswil, Nimbus. Kunst und Bücher.

2014

„Paul Cassirer. 81 Auctions between 1916 and 1932“, in: Auctioneers who made Art History, ed. by Dirk Boll, Ostfildern, Hatje Cantz Verlag, p. 50-57.

The Paintings of Paul Cézanne – an online catalogue raisonné (www.cezannecatalogue.com), ed. by Walter Feilchenfeldt, Jayne Warman and David Nash.

 

Exhibitions

 

Vincent van Gogh, Between Earth and Heaven: The Landscapes
Basel Kunstmuseum, 26th April – 27th September 2009
Cézanne: Aufbruch in die Moderne/Cézanne and the Dawn of Modern Art
Essen, Folkwang Museum, 18th September 2004 – 16th January 2005
Cézanne: Vollendet – Unvollendet/Finished – Unfinished
Vienna, Kunstforum, 20th January – 25th April 2000
Zurich, Kunsthaus, 5th May – 30th July 2000
Classic Cézanne
Sydney, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 28th November 1998 – 28th February 1999
Cézanne
Paris, Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, 25th September 1995 – 7th January 1996
London, Tate Gallery, 8th February – 28th April 1996
Philadelphia Museum of Art, 30th May – 1st September 1996
Degas: The portraits
Zürich, Kunsthaus, 2nd December 1994 – 5th March 1995
Tübingen, Kunsthalle, 18th March – 18th June 1995
Cézanne Paintings
Tübingen, Kunsthalle, 16th January – 2nd May 1993
Van Gogh und die Moderne/Van Gogh and Early Modern Art
Essen, Folkwang Museum, 11th August – 4th November 1990
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, 16th November 1990 – 18th February 1991