Gustav Zumsteg

Gustav Zumsteg (1915–2005) was a Swiss textile manufacturer, art collector, and patron associated with the circle of artists around Galerie Maeght. As head of the textile firm Abraham AG in Zürich, he collaborated with numerous modern artists, such as Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, and Joan Miró, translating their designs into fabrics.

Zumsteg first encountered Ellsworth Kelly’s work in 1951, when he saw the painting Meschers at Galerie Maeght and invited Kelly to submit designs for possible translation into textiles. During this period Kelly also became closer to the Maeght family; in December 1951 he celebrated Christmas with them at their villa in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, where Louis Clayeux and Gustav Zumsteg were also present.