In memory of entrepreneur Walter Haefner and his close ties with Kusntahus Zurich, the foundation named after him has decided to donate 20 million Swiss francs to the Kunsthaus's expansion program, an amount that far surpasses their 2011 donated to the same institution. Haefner died on June 19 of 2012 and was a member of the Vereinigung Zürcher Kunstfreunde for nearly five decades.
In 1995 Haefner donated 12 masterworks to Kunsthaus, including paintings by Monet, Gauguin, Magritte, Seurat and Van Gogh, as well as a pastel by Degas. This donation considerably increased and enriched the museum's already highly regarded impressionist and classic modern art collection. The Kunstgesellschaft decided to pay tribute to the generosity and visionary commitment demonstrated by the family and the foundation after Hasfner's passing by officially naming the main hall of the space after Walter Haefner.
The Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, the art association that supports the Kunsthaus Zürich, has been hard at work to secure 88 million Swiss francs to finance the construction of a new building designed by David Chipperfield Architects. With the contribution by the Walter Haefner Foundation, the total amount already secured for the project is 70 million Swiss francs. The handling of the money will be delegated to a business that specializes in auditing the expenses of projects like this. It is expected that the remaining amount needed to begin construction will be available by the end of 2013. By the time the project is completed in 2017, the Kunsthaus would have become the largest museum in Switzerland.