How is art-historical writing stimulated by private collections? Or in other words: what part does the private collection play in art-historical thinking, and how does this become manifest in writing? Most of Werner Busch’s research is devoted to intense work on the object. Quite frequently, it is based on works that are especially familiar to him, as the art historian has amassed a large collection of graphic artworks in particular over his years of academic study, and the collection and his research are closely interrelated. To mark Werner Busch’s 80th birthday, friends and associates have taken a look at some of the objects in the "Busch Collection" and in over 40 contributions, considered how they may relate to his writing, which has been groundbreaking for the discipline.

• A unique perspective on the connection between collecting practices and the research of a pioneering art historian
• 40 objects viewed by colleagues

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Jonas Beyer, Kunsthaus Zurich; Karin Gludovatz, Free University, Berlin; Yannis Hadjinicolaou, University of Bonn