Newly designed Bührle exhibition opens at Kunsthaus Zürich
Published: Thursday, Nov 2nd 2023, 15:10
Updated At: Friday, Nov 3rd 2023, 00:54
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The new orientation of the Bührle exhibition at the Kunsthaus Zürich has not convinced the scientific advisory board. Those responsible say that the collection's conflictual context is certainly illuminated.
Emil Bührle continues to be the focus of the exhibition, Stefanie Mahrer of the advisory board told the media at the Kunsthaus on Thursday. The advisory board thinks that the stories of the former owners, who were victims of the National Socialists, are only insufficiently presented.
The Kunsthaus director, Ann Demeester, clarified that Bührle would remain the central thread. However, the stories of the previous owners would be illuminated in a room containing controversial art.
Demeester emphasized that the advisory board had played a decisive role in shaping the new direction. The Kunsthaus is open to renewed cooperation. The seven-member scientific advisory board recently resigned due to differing opinions.
Redesign after criticism
When it opened in 2021, the exhibition in the new Kunsthaus building was sharply criticized. Controversial issues such as looted art were only referred to in one documentation room. Now, visitors will learn about it in several rooms.
The large texts, video and audio installations are striking. Texts on Emil Bührle show his career, his rise as an arms manufacturer and art collector. Reference is made to his dealings with Nazi Germany or forced labor in one of his factories.
In one room, interviews with various people about the collection can be seen, such as historian Jacques Picard, who was a member of the Bergier Commission, or Judaist Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek. The public is also invited to give its opinion. Every Wednesday, they will be invited to talk to the core team of the Kunsthaus.
Waiting for the examination
Frequent reference is made to the research of historian Raphael Gross. He is currently researching the origin of the disputed works. His findings should be available in June 2024.
The references to Gross' work can be read, for example, in the room where the works of disputed origin are displayed. Together with the biographies of the previous owners and the precarious circumstances of the sales, they hang next to the works.
The new exhibition will be followed by a supporting program in spring 2024. Among other things, a discussion is planned with the artist Miriam Cahn, who had threatened to remove her works from the Kunsthaus. Gross' final report is then to herald a third phase.
The newly designed exhibition "A Future for the Past. The Bührle Collection: Art, Context, War and Conflict" is open to the public from November 3. The controversial collection has been on permanent loan to the Kunsthaus since 2021. It is known for paintings by van Gogh, Monet or Cézanne.
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