BASEL.- Swisscom is the main partner for the unique exhibition at Fondation Beyeler, “The Young PICASSO – Blue and Rose Periods”. Together with Fondation Beyeler, Swisscom is now launching #myprivatepicasso, a special project bringing a valuable painting from this renowned collection of artworks by Pablo Picasso into a regular Swiss home for one day.

The #myprivatepicasso collaboration between Fondation Beyeler and Swisscom is as novel as Picasso himself. On 16 April 2019, the 1939 masterpiece, Buste de femme au chapeau (Dora), from the renowned Beyeler Collection will be loaned to a private home in Switzerland for just one day. It could be a family home, shared student housing or someone living on their own: In fact, anyone living in Switzerland can apply for this extraordinary opportunity between 19 March and 1 April. The eventual winner, that is, the individual or individuals in whose home the artwork will be displayed, will be whoever comes up with the most original idea – as voted by the public and a judging panel made up of Fondation Beyeler and Swisscom representatives.

Made possible by networking
Moving such a valuable painting outside the museum environment and into an ordinary Swiss home is only possible thanks to the networking and secure transmission of sensitive data offered by the Swisscom network. Security experts from Swisscom and Fondation Beyeler will be able to monitor the painting continuously, and its networked frame will provide a constant stream of important environmental data about the picture. Swisscom and Fondation Beyeler have developed a smart frame for the masterpiece Buste de femme au chapeau (Dora) for #myprivatepicasso. This will measure the ambient temperature and air humidity, provide the GPS position of the painting and sound an alarm if there is any unauthorised movement.

Picasso – the artist of the century for everyone
Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) is one of the most famous artists of our time. His works hang in the great art museums in the world. In the current Picasso exhibition at Fondation Beyeler, visitors can gain insights into the artist's Blue and Rose periods. The paintings from this creative period are among the most beautiful and emotional in modern art. The exhibition at Fondation Beyeler is being celebrated as one of the European cultural highlights of the year. The foundation behind the most visited art museum in Switzerland aims to bring modern art to a wider public and awaken the interest of young people in art. The intention behind the collaboration between Fondation Beyeler and Swisscom is to bring Picasso closer to the Swiss public.

Sam Keller, Director of Fondation Beyeler, and Urs Schaeppi, CEO Swisscom, explain:
“Our aim is to bring art to a wider public, especially those who may be infrequent museum visitors. The #myprivatepicasso project with Swisscom is one way of doing this. Valuable cultural assets such as Pablo Picasso's Buste de femme au chapeau (Dora) are usually only loaned to museums with the highest security. Thanks to the innovative technology of our partner Swisscom, however, we are able to bring this artwork securely into any Swiss home,” explains Sam Keller of Fondation Beyeler.

“With #myprivatepicasso, Fondation Beyeler and Swisscom are combining art and technology to stage the most unique event. This is only possible with the best network, secure transmission and a partner such as Fondation Beyeler. Moreover, it supports our vision of making simple use of the opportunities of a networked future. To this end, Swisscom invests around CHF 1.7 billion every year in security and expanding its infrastructure in Switzerland,” says Urs Schaeppi, CEO Swisscom.