Stowaways. A Journey through Swiss Painting. Media Release Aarau, January January 15 April 2018 Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau

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1 Media Release Aarau, January 2018 Stowaways A Journey through Swiss Painting 27 January 15 April 2018 Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau Not all artworks enjoy the same privileges on their journey from their time of origin to our present. While the works of established artists are, clearly visible to all, on deck, others have no other option but to travel as stowaways, always keeping up hope that, one day, they may still attract the attention of a wider public. The exhibition Stowaways aims to offer those hidden artworks precisely such an opportunity to emerge into visibility. For visitors this means embarking on a journey of discovery and tracing many unknown works in the landscape of Swiss art. The special exhibition Stowaways offers the public a unique opportunity to become acquainted with many works of Swiss artists which, to date, have received scant attention. In this way the exhibition aims to show the aesthetic and thematic breadth of Swiss painting. The works were created over a period of more than 150 years. A particular emphasis is on works from the first half of the twentieth century when art production in Switzerland was strikingly brisk and inventive. Aside from some names which have gone down in art history, such as Arnold Böcklin ( ), Félix Vallotton ( ) and Cuno Amiet ( ), especially unknown artists serve as evidence of the very diverse forms of expression that were developing simultaneously in Switzerland. On view are outstanding individual works by painters who didn t leave behind much of a major oeuvre as well as paintings by artists who have always been highly regarded by some art lovers and experts, but never attracted wide public attention. Featuring more than 200 works by more than 100 different artists, the exhibition aims to draw attention to the broad spectrum of Swiss imagemaking.

2 The many works are arranged by subject matter to allow them to interact thematically. Each gallery is devoted to a particular theme. In the section Sound, paintings by musicians meet abstract paintings by Luigi Lurati ( ) which, as a result, suggest sound waves. In the section Glances, we observe men, women, and children who seem to communicate with one another as well as with animals, trees, or flowers beyond the picture frame. The themes often draw on natural phenomena and their rendering in painting, for instance, the depiction of water (Heavy Water), air (In the Air), plants (Ramifications, Hothouses), or landscapes (Gentle Hills). The two opposites Tame and wild may be understood both in thematic and stylistic terms. Works by artists of New Objectivity, such as Niklaus Stoecklin ( ), Theodor Barth ( ), and Oskar Tröndle ( ), serve to reflect on the theme To Be Precise. The section Studios takes a look at artistic production and Statuses examines the reception of masterpieces. Bleed illustrates how close to one another abstraction and figuration can sometimes be. The sections At Work and Nights visualise diurnal and nocturnal life, respectively, and in the end viewers find themselves in different surroundings, as in To the Edge of Town and Elsewhere. Most of the works in the exhibition are from the private collection of Peter Suter, co-curator of Stowaways, and the collection of the Aargauer Kunsthaus. Combining works from an art-historically conceived public collection and an artistically motivated private collection allows for a completely new and unexpected overview which makes for extraordinary impressions and encounters. In some places the show is complemented by loans from private collections and museums such as the Kunstmuseum Basel, the Museum zu Allerheiligen Schaffhausen, and the NMB Neues Museum Biel. Artists Hélène Amande ( ); Cuno Amiet ( ); Eugen Ammann ( ); Robert Amrein ( ); Karl Felix Appenzeller ( ); Rodolphe Auguste Bachelin ( ); Edwin Paul Bachmann ( ) oder Edwin Carl Bachmann( ); Karl Ballmer ( ); Paul Friedrich Wilhelm Balmer ( ); Amédé Barth ( ); Theodor Barth ( ); Fritz Baumann ( ); Otto Baumberger ( ); Frank Behrens ( ); Emil Beurmann ( ); Carl Bieri ( ); Peter Birkhäuser ( ); Arnold Böcklin ( ); Jakob Friedrich Bollschweiler ( ); Max Alfred Buri ( ); Samuel Buri (*1935); Miriam Cahn (*1949); Paul Camenisch ( ); Giuseppe Canova ( ); Albert de Meuron ( ); François Diday ( ); Martin Disler ( ); Numa Donzé ( ); Oswald Dubach (1884

3 1950); Hans Emmenegger ( ); Gustav Arnold Fiechter ( ); Roger Fiaux ( ); Karl Glaus ( ); Charles-Edouard Gogler ( ); Guido Gonzato ( ); Mireille Gros (*1954); Hans Häusle ( ); Erich Hermès ( ); Ernst Georg Heussler ( ); Valery Heussler ( ); Karl Heinrich Hindenlang ( ); Hermann Huber ( ); Ernst Keiser ( ); Traugott Keller ( ); Ernst Kempter ( ); Rudolf Koller ( ); Jürg Kreienbühl ( ); Adolf Kron ( ); Lisa Krugell ( ); Emma Kunz ( ); Maria La Roche ( ); René Lackerbauer ( ); Guido Locca ( ); Rudolf Löw ( ); Luigi Lurati ( ); Ernst Maass ( ); Rudolf Maeglin ( ); Hilde Mala-Reiwald ( ); Georg Albrecht Mayer ( ); Eti Meacock Engi (*1989); Theo Meier ( ); Theo Modespacher ( ); Jules Moos ( ); Heinrich (Haiggi) Müller ( ); Guido Nussbaum (*1948); Fritz Paravicini ( ); Willy Quidort ( ); Arthur Riedel ( ); Philippe Robert ( ); Otto Roos ( ); Dieter Roth/Wiener Ingrid ( /*1942); William Röthlisberger ( ); Paul Eduard Rüdisühli ( ); Marcel Schaffner ( ); Hermann Scherer ( ); Ernesto Schiess ( ); Emil Schill ( ); Fritz (Frédéric) Schmid ( ); Wilhelm Schmid ( ); Johann Jakob Schneider ( ); Albrecht Schnider (*1958); Albert Schnyder ( ); Jean-Frédéric Schnyder (*1945); Karl Friedrich Schobinger ( ); Emanuel Schöttli ( ); Alfred Schuhmacher ( ); Ida Gertrud Schwabe ( ); Hans Rudolf Schwarzenbach ( ); Louis Soutter ( ); Ernst Stocker (Coghuf)( ); Niklaus Stoecklin ( ); Ernst Streit ( ); Robert Strübin ( ); Hugo Suter ( ); Stephan Jon Tramèr (*1956); Oskar Tröndle ( ); Félix Vallotton ( ); Jean-Pierre Viollier ( ); Werner von Mutzenbecher (*1937); Louise Weitnauer ( ); Fritz Widmann ( ); Walter Kurt Wiemken (1907 vor ); Paul Wilde ( ); Alfred Wirz (*1952); Otto Wyler ( ); Paul Wyss ( ); Eugen Zeller ( ); Christa Ziegler (*1965); Paul Zoelly ( ) Curators Thomas Schmutz, Curator of the Collection / Dep. Director Peter Suter, artist, author, and collector Curatorial Assistance Bettina Mühlebach, Assistant Curator

4 Publication A richly illustrated catalogue titled Blinde Passagiere. Eine Reise durch die Schweizer Malerei (Stowaways. A Journey through Swiss Painting) is published in conjunction with the exhibition. The volume includes original literary texts by Klaus Merz, Michel Mettler, Stefanie Sourlier, and Peter Suter. 318 pages. Edited by Thomas Schmutz, Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau, and Peter Suter. Zürich: Scheidegger & Spiess, ISBN Preview for the Media Thursday, , am Introduction and tour of the exhibition with Thomas Schmutz, Curator of the Collection / Dep. Director. Followed by a reception in the foyer Exhibition Opening Friday, , 6 pm 6.15 pm Welcome address by Madeleine Schuppli, Director Aargauer Kunsthaus; introduction by Thomas Schmutz, co-curator, and Peter Suter, co-curator, artist, author, and collector, Basel. Followed by a reception in the foyer 5-6 pm Preview for members of the Aargau Art Association Friday, , 6 8 pm Children s Opening Meet at the studio downstairs at 6 pm (ages 5 to 13) Discussions and Tours of the Exhibition Tuesday, , 6.30 pm Peter Suter, co-curator of the exhibition, artist, author, and collector, Basel, in conversation with Martin Heller, Heller Enterprises, Zürich/Berlin. Moderated by Thomas Schmutz, Curator of the Collection / Dep. Director. Admission + CHF 8., followed by a reception Thursday, , 6.30 pm Literary tour of the exhibition with Klaus Merz, author and contributor to the accompanying publication Blinde Passagiere, and Peter Suter, co-curator. Moderated by Thomas Schmutz, Curator of the Collection / Dep. Director. Admission + CHF 8., followed by a reception Thursday, , 6.30 pm Literary tour of the exhibition with Michel Mettler and Stefanie Sourlier, authors and contributors to the accompanying publication Blinde Passagiere, and Thomas Schmutz, Curator of the Collection / Dep. Director. Admission + CHF 8., followed by a reception Concert Sunday, , 4 pm Many Swiss composers who are forgotten today created work during the interbellum period. Oscillating between late Romanticism and Modernism, the piano pieces include music influenced by folklore as well as atmospheric poetic images and miniatures whose humour and charm speak directly to the listener. At the grand piano: Werner Schmid, Aarau. Admission + CHF 15., followed by a reception

5 Guided Tours Thursday, 6.30 pm 1.2. with Bettina Mühlebach, 5.4. with Astrid Näff, with Astrid Näff Sunday, 11 am with Bettina Mühlebach, 4.2. with Bettina Mühlebach, with Astrid Näff, with Brigitte Haas, 4.3. with Brigitte Haas, with Brigitte Haas, with Astrid Näff 1.4. Easter Sunday with Brigitte Haas, with Astrid Näff Art Education Introduction for Educators Wednesday, 31.1., pm Thursday, 1.2., pm Open Studio Sunday, / / 25.3., 11 am 4 pm The studio is open for young and old creative minds. Art Hunt Saturday, / / 3.3. / / am pm (ages 9 13) pm (ages 5 8) Children are introduced to art Family Sunday Sunday, / / 8.4., 11 am, 1 pm, and 2 pm Interactive guided tour and workshop. For families with children ages 5 and up For additional events for schools, families, children, and adolescents, as well as barrier-free events please refer to the separate programme Dates for art workshops (school classes) and art meets (adults) upon request: tel. +41 (0) , kunstvermittlung@ag.ch Opening Hours Tue Sun: 10 am 5 pm; Thu: 10 am 8 pm Holiday Opening Hours Open from 10 am to 5 pm: Maundy Thursday Good Friday 30.3., Easter 1.4., Easter Monday 2.4. Images for the Media Images are available for downloading on our website at > Media. Please take note of the copyright.

6 For additional information please contact Thomas Schmutz, Curator of the Collection / Dep. Director Aargauer Kunsthaus, tel. +41 (0) , thomas.schmutz@ag.ch Bettina Mühlebach, Research Assistant, Aargauer Kunsthaus, T +41 (0) , bettina.muehlebach@ag.ch Filomena Colecchia, Communication / Media tel. +41 (0) , filomena.colecchia@ag.ch Social media Become a fan of the Aargauer Kunsthaus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

PRESS KIT CONTENT. PRESS CONFERENCE , 11 am. Research report on Steffi Brandl Thomas Friedrich Scholarship for Research in Photography

PRESS KIT CONTENT. PRESS CONFERENCE , 11 am. Research report on Steffi Brandl Thomas Friedrich Scholarship for Research in Photography PRESS KIT CONTENT Press release Biography Steffi Brandl and exhibition texts Press images PRESS CONFERENCE 06.06.2016, 11 am Dr. Thomas Köhler Director of the Berlinische Galerie Manfred Heiting designer,