Foundation Activities
The Foundation focuses its activities on the conservation and restoration of wall paintings, stucco and mosaics, identifying and supporting projects selected on the basis of the historical and artistic value of the works and their conservation needs. It takes an active part in their development through ongoing dialogue with the institutions and professionals involved.
Projects are carried out in collaboration with public and private institutions, museums, heritage authorities, universities, ecclesiastical institutions and research centres. Conservation work is entrusted to qualified conservator-restorers and other professionals and carried out under the supervision of the relevant heritage authorities.
Beginning in 2002 with the first projects in Tibet and China, the Foundation’s activities subsequently expanded to Switzerland, Italy and other international contexts. Today, the Foundation supports several conservation and restoration projects simultaneously, accompanying their development from planning through implementation.
The Foundation’s activities are guided by the belief that the conservation of cultural heritage is a shared responsibility. Through the projects it supports, the Foundation seeks to contribute not only to the material conservation of works of art, but also to the knowledge and transmission of their value to future generations.
Isabel & Balz Baechi
Isabel Pardo de Leygonier (1926–2019) was born in Paris and spent part of her life between Europe and Venezuela. After the Second World War, she lived in Caracas, where she first worked in her family’s bookshop and later at an advertising agency. Returning to Paris, from 1952 to 1961 she worked as a secretary and collaborator at the Venezuelan Delegation to UNESCO, where she was also involved in historical research and the preparation of texts for lectures.
A woman of broad culture and sensitivity, she maintained a lifelong interest in philosophy, literature and the arts. She wrote prose and poetry in Spanish and French and also painted. Her education, her experiences across different cultures and her continuing engagement with the art world contributed to a particular sensitivity towards history and cultural heritage.
Balz Baechi (balzbaechi.ch), born in Zurich in 1937, attended the Kunstgewerbeschule after completing secondary school, where he trained as a graphic designer. He worked for many years in Zurich as an independent graphic designer, illustrator and draughtsman, collaborating with a range of cultural and publishing organisations. Particularly significant was his collaboration with the Tages-Anzeiger, for which he produced illustrations accompanying theatre reviews.
From the 1980s onwards, painting became increasingly central to his work. Balz Baechi developed a personal artistic practice between figuration and abstraction, while alongside his artistic work he cultivated a growing interest in the conservation of historical and artistic heritage. In Zurich, he took part in the campaign for the Predigerchor, becoming directly involved in safeguarding an important element of the city’s historical and architectural heritage.
Isabel and Balz Baechi married in New York in 1965 and later settled in Zollikon. Their relationship was marked by an intense cultural exchange and a shared interest in art, history and the conservation of heritage. Over time, their experiences, travels and common interests strengthened their wish to translate this sensitivity into a concrete commitment.
In 2002, they established the Isabel e Balz Baechi Foundation in Zurich, giving form to a shared project dedicated to the conservation and restoration of historical and artistic heritage.