Dadaglobe Reconstructed

5 February – 1 May 2016
http://www.kunsthaus.ch/

‘Dadaglobe’ brings together the more than two hundred artworks and texts that were sent to Tristan Tzara in 1921 by artists from all over Europe. This epochal but hitherto unpublished book project is finally being realized to mark the 100th anniversary of Dada’s foundation. After years of research, contributions that have since been dispersed around the globe have been assembled once again for an exhibition that is a milestone in recent Dada research. The presentation comprises self-portraits, photomontages and collages, drawings, book page designs, poems and essays as well as manuscripts, printed matter and revealing historical documents. ‘Dadaglobe’ is an impressive survey of the artistic diversity, socio-political relevance and art-historical impact of Dada. With contributions by Hans Arp, André Breton, Max Ernst, Hannah Höch, Sophie Taeuber-Arp and some 30 other artists.

Joan Miró. Wall, Frieze, Mural

2 October 2015 – 24 January 2016
http://www.kunsthaus.ch

The art of Joan Miró (1893 –1983) is informed by an almost literal directness, which invariably foregrounds the materiality of his painting. In his personal accounts, he declared the wall itself to be the starting point of his painting. At first, it was the wall of the farm in Montroig, its imperfection supplying the inspiration for images that captured the beauty of the material with meticulous attention to detail and great poetic imagination. For him a wall was not simply an object to be depicted: it also dictated the physical and tactile qualities of the painterly. The move from simple depiction to according the canvas surface a status equal to that of the wall, as well as the careful selection and preparation of supports that we encounter in every phase of his work, can be traced back to this objective. Poured paint and deliberately placed splashes, whitewashed canvases as well as coarse burlap and unconventional materials such as masonite, sandpaper or tar paper are placed in the service of his imagination and play their part in creating Miró’s visual universe

A Golden Age

28 August – 29 November 2015
http://www.kunsthaus.ch/

The Kunsthaus already possesses important holdings of 17thcentury Dutch art, in the form of the Koetser and Ruzicka collections. For this exhibition, these are joined by 40 precious Dutch paintings from a private collection in Zurich that have rarely been shown before. Most are small-format cabinet pieces of exquisite quality, their remarkable compositions and spectacular detail as captivating to present-day audiences as they have ever been. They include cheerful genre scenes, magnificent still lifes and landscapes by outstanding representatives of Dutch painting such as Hendrick Avercamp, Jan Brueghel the Elder, Adriaen Coorte, Jan van Goyen and Aert van der Neer.

The collection’s exacting standards are also reflected in the fact that almost all of the pictures are signed, an indication of the way in which Dutch artists of the time saw themselves: they were the first to produce works to this extent for a broad market and develop a high degree of specialization in a variety of genres outside religious art.

Monet, Gauguin, van Gogh … Inspiration japonaise

20 février – 10 mai 2015
http://www.kunsthaus.ch

L’art japonais a joué un rôle fondamental dans le développement de l’art moderne. Presque tous les grands maîtres se sont laissé inspirer par les motifs et les procédés stylistiques japonais. Pour la première fois depuis plus de 25 ans, une vaste exposition est consacrée à ce phénomène connu sous le terme de «japonisme». Elle se concentre sur la période de 1860 à 1910, qui correspond aux débuts et à l’apogée de la réception de l’art japonais en France.

L’ouverture du Japon en 1854, après plus de 200 ans d’isolement complet, a déclenché en Occident, et surtout en France, un véritable engouement pour ce pays. Celui-ci a été stimulé par les expositions universelles – en particulier celles de Vienne en 1873 et de Paris en 1878 – qui présentaient des marchandises très convoitées en provenance du Japon.

L’exposition présente plus de 300 pièces prestigieuses. Outre des peintures, elle comprend une sélection représentative d’estampes d’artistes japonais comme Hokusai, Hiroshige et Utamaro, qui proviennent en partie de collections des artistes de cette époque. De même, des objets d’art japonais sont confrontés à des objets provenant d’Europe. Des photographies de voyage et des affiches complètent l’image que l’Europe du 19ème siècle se faisait du Japon.

From Matisse to the Blue Rider - Expressionism in Germany and France

7th February 2014 - 11th May 2014
www.kunsthaus.ch

Today, ’Expressionism’ is generally viewed as a German movement – yet in fact it emerged at the start of the 20th century from the enthusiastic engagement of German artists with Classical Modernism in France. ’Van Gogh struck modern art like a bolt of lightning,’ was how one German observer described the painter’s impact on German artists – at a time when they were already coming to terms with Seurat, Signac and the Neo-Impressionists. Then followed Gauguin, Cézanne and Matisse. The response by the artists of ’Die Brücke’ and ’Der Blaue Reiter’ to French Neo-Impressionism and the ’Fauves’ was a veritable riot of colour.

The exhibition – a cooperation with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Montréal – reveals Expressionism in its true light, highlighting that it was not a national movement but rather one shaped by the spirit of cosmopolitanism and productive exchange. Together with over 100 masterpieces of Classical Modernism and German Expressionism, it presents the findings of recent research into a history of reception that has hitherto been little studied by scholars.