The Ted Scapa Collection: Schloss Vallamand comes to Zofingen

Artist, publisher and television presenter: Ted Scapa (born 1931) has many talents. He became known nationally as the presenter of the children’s programme «Spielhaus». But anyone who reduces him to that role does him an injustice. Born in the Netherlands, he ran the Bern publishing house Benteli Verlag for many years — which gave rise to close friendships with artists for whom he published catalogues of their work. As a cartoonist he drew for daily newspapers in Switzerland and abroad.

A château full of art

Scapa is also a passionate collector. On his behalf, we auctioned part of the art collection from his Schloss Vallamand on Lake Murten: 450 items in all, including works of his own, but above all items by artist friends such as Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle.

Most striking was his collection of African sculptures, which he housed in the château like fellow residents — for instance a 2.53-metre-long drum of the Lobala from the Congo, a zoomorphic gong that stood as representative of the many items in this group.

Like the contents of Schloss Rümligen, the Scapa Collection was sold at the Autumn Auction 2021 in its entirety — 100 per cent of the lots found buyers.