How passion for Murano glass can determine a life

Swiss art collector Peter Grünbaum explains how a love of art can turn a life upside down, how to strike a balance between collector and dealer, and what has changed on the art market in recent decades.

Regardless of social class, as we get older, everyone is confronted with the question of the meaning of life. Peter Grünbaum was faced with this question one day, and he answered it – in the eyes of many – quite radically. For almost 30 years, marketing dominated his life, working partly for international companies and later as the owner of his own marketing agencies. He has essentially always been a collector. In the 1970s, he began acquiring objects that interested him. Whether it was Swatch watches, toy robots, or Pirelli calendars, his collection grew ever larger.

In 2004, he decided to turn his passion into a career: art collector and dealer with a focus on Murano glass .

And this collection is quite something, as it is now considered one of the largest in the world. Peter Grünbaum now sells rare pieces from this collection to other collectors, ideally to those who share his passion. But this is where the dilemma begins:

How can one be a collector on the one hand and a dealer on the other?

Even for Mr. Grünbaum, this question is not easy to answer. Looking at the pieces he has been able to amass over the years, it becomes clear that with each object, one also sells a little of one's heart and soul. Indeed, there are countless of them. The most famous are by Carlo Scarpa, Fulvio Bianconi, Tomaso Buzzi, Yoichi Ohira... to name just a few of the most famous artists.

Returning to the difficult question, Peter Grünbaum explains:

"Of course I want to sell the vases; that's my job now. But in doing so, I'm also selling a piece of myself. That's not always easy." He adds with a grin: "My family is also breathing down my neck and doesn't want me to invest my entire fortune in my passion."

But another question also preoccupies him: Since the coronavirus pandemic, personal contact has become much rarer. The majority of his business is conducted through his website

https://1000-objekte.ch/   . You can sense a hint of sadness in his expression.

"In the past, customers would come to my gallery, or later to my apartment. You could look into each other's eyes and feel each other's passion. I miss that a little these days."

This is the cycle of being a collector and dealer. You can be sure that Peter Grünbaum will use a portion of the proceeds from the sale to go back on a quest to find another vase somewhere in the world that he has never owned before.

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