Casting one’s eye over the back-cover advertisement of Artforum magazine—taken by the Swiss gallerist Bruno Bischofberger for decades—is an art world tradition. But the latest issue looks different. The curator Darren Flook points out that “through the magazine’s ups and downs, one thing has been consistent; the back page advert by Bischofberger who has taken [that] page of the magazine since 1986 with no images of art, but photographs of Swiss life (strange, sometimes idyllic, often weirdly unsettling, like a mood board image for an art house horror movie).” Bischofberger, who brought Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat to European audiences, died in May, aged 86. Flook adds: “This month was different and touching—an artwork: Andy Warhol’s portrait of his friend and gallerist, and the simple line ‘In Memoriam’.” RIP, Bruno.
Diaryblog
Artforum bids farewell to back-cover star in style
Long-running series of quirky advertisements for Bruno Bischofberger’s Swiss gallery has come to an end
22 July 2026

Bruno Bischofberger delighted Artforum readers with his gallery’s enigmatic ads Photo: Canio Romaniello/Shutterstock