Kunsthaus Zürich

Architecture

The old museum part was drawn-up by architects Karl Moser and Robert Curjel and opened in 1910. Particularly notable are the several preserved Moser interiors in the original section of the museum, decorated in masterful Neo-Grec version of Secession style. The bas-reliefs on the facade are by Moser's longtime collaborator Oskar Kiefer. The original museum building was extended in 1925, 1958 and 1976.

A $230 million extension by London-based David Chipperfield was opened in 2020. An extension building with a usable area of 13,000 square meters, which corresponds to an increase in the size of the Kunsthaus by more than 80%, began operations on 9 October 2021. Half of the extension's budget came from the city and canton of Zurich, with the other half provided by private donors. Chipperfield's design is a massive rectangular sandstone-covered building. The Kunsthaus will become the largest Swiss art museum, overtaking the Kunstmuseum Basel in the available space but not the collection. The two upper floors will be for art, with facilities at ground level and a basement link under the street to the original museum across the street in Heimplatz.

Lydia Escher (1858–1891), being a prominent Zurich patron of the arts, was honored by the Gesellschaft zu Fraumünster association on the occasion of her 150th anniversary by a commemorative plaque, located at the front of the building. The place was dedicated on 20 August 2008 by the city of Zurich as Lydia Welti-Escher Hof.

Collection

The museum's collection includes major works by artists including Joseph Beuys, Claude Monet (several works including an enormous water lily painting), Edvard Munch, Pablo Picasso, Jacques Lipchitz and the Swiss Alberto Giacometti. Other Swiss artists such as Johann Heinrich Füssli, Ferdinand Hodler or from recent times, Pipilotti Rist and Peter Fischli are also represented. In addition, works by Vincent van Gogh, Édouard Manet, Henri Matisse and René Magritte can be found here.

Management

Leadership

• 1909–1949: Wilhelm Wartmann
• 1950–1975: René Wehrli
• 1976–2000: Felix Baumann
• 2000–2022: Christoph Becker
• 2022–present: Ann Demeester

Attendance

In 2021, the Kunsthaus had 382,603 visitors. On Wednesday admission to the Collection is free of charge for all visitors.

Public transport

The gallery is served by a stop on the Zurich tram system, known as Zürich, Kunsthaus. This is located on Heimplatz, between the museum building and the Schauspielhaus Zürich.

Gallery

|File:Berner Nelkenmeister 001.jpg|Berner , Johannes der Täufer in der Wüste |File:August Macke 025.jpg|August Macke, Landscape with Cows and Camel |File:Piet Mondriaan, 1930 - Mondrian Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow.jpg|Piet Mondrian, Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow |File:Joseph Mallord William Turner 028.jpg|J. M. William Turner, Die Teufelsbrücke St. Gotthard |File:Der Rhonegletscher - Johann Heinrich Wüest (Kunsthaus Zürich).jpg|Johann Heinrich Wüest, Der Rhonegletscher |File:Arnold Böcklin 002.jpg|Arnold Böcklin, Der Krieg |File:L'Evasion de Rochefort - Edouard Manet (Kunsthaus Zürich).jpg|Édouard Manet, Die Flucht des Rochefort |File:Henri Rousseau 001.jpg|Henri Rousseau, Am Waldrand

Controversy

The integrated artworks from the collection of the arms dealer Emil Bührle has caused discussion and criticism due to concern that some of the artworks may have been sold under duress by Jews persecuted by Nazis during the Third Reich. Critics say that the ownership history of the artworks has not been sufficiently clarified and, in January 2021, a petition was launched to demand access for impartial international researchers. In October 2023, a panel of academics hired to rectify incorrect or misleading Nazi-era provenances resigned in protest over the way the history was presented.

References

References

1. O'Ceallaigh, John. (9 June 2017). "The Director's Guide: Kunsthaus Zurich".
2. "Martin Bailey (June 20, 2014), A tale of two extensions, The Art Newspaper".
3. Sabine von Fischer. (December 2020). "Kunsthaus-Erweiterung: Kunst allein kann diese Leere füllen". [[Neue Zürcher Zeitung]].
4. (11 December 2020). "Kunsthaus Zurich counts down to 'quantum leap' for Swiss art scene after Chipperfield expansion".
5. (27 March 2008). "Ehrung der Kunstmäzenin Lydia Welti-Escher (press release)". [[Gesellschaft zu Fraumünster]].
6. Stadtrat von Zürich. (20 August 2008). "Strassenbenennungskommission; Benennung von "Lydia-Welti-Escher-Hof" (press release)". Stadt Zürich.
7. "Ann Demeester to be new Director of the Kunsthaus Zürich".
8. Kunsthaus [https://jahresbericht.kunsthaus.ch/2021/zuercher-kunstgesellschaft/kunsthausbesuch Annual Report 2022]
9. "Kunsthaus Zürich Collection".
10. "Schwarzbuch Bührle: Raubkunst für das Kunsthaus Zürich? – The Bührle Black Book: Looted Art for the Kunsthaus Zurich?".
11. Hickley, Catherine. "An arms dealer casts a shadow over Kunsthaus Zurich". [[The Art Newspaper]].
12. (10 December 2021). "Swiss parliament urged to take action on Nazi-looted art amid Kunsthaus Zurich controversy".
13. (2023-10-27). "Kunsthaus Zurich advisers quit in conflict over new Bührle exhibition".