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 (1827 1901), Félix Vallotton (1865 1925) and Cuno Amiet (1868 1961), 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.
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 (1936 1967) 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 (1896 1982), Theodor Barth (1875 1949), and Oskar Tröndle (1883 1945), 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 (1896 1987); Cuno Amiet (1868 1961); Eugen Ammann (1882 1978); Robert Amrein (1896 1945); Karl Felix Appenzeller (1892 1964); Rodolphe Auguste Bachelin (1830 1890); Edwin Paul Bachmann (1896 1971) oder Edwin Carl Bachmann( 1900 1960); Karl Ballmer (1891 1958); Paul Friedrich Wilhelm Balmer (1865 1922); Amédé Barth (1899 1926); Theodor Barth (1875 1949); Fritz Baumann (1899 1998); Otto Baumberger (1889 1961); Frank Behrens (1883 1945); Emil Beurmann (1862 1951); Carl Bieri (1894 1962); Peter Birkhäuser (1911 1976); Arnold Böcklin (1827 1901); Jakob Friedrich Bollschweiler (1889 1938); Max Alfred Buri (1868 1915); Samuel Buri (*1935); Miriam Cahn (*1949); Paul Camenisch (1893 1970); Giuseppe Canova (1924 2013); Albert de Meuron (1823 1897); François Diday (1802 1877); Martin Disler (1949 1996); Numa Donzé (1885 1952); Oswald Dubach (1884
1950); Hans Emmenegger (1866 1940); Gustav Arnold Fiechter (1879 1943); Roger Fiaux (1885 1963); Karl Glaus (1925 2013); Charles-Edouard Gogler (1885 1976); Guido Gonzato (1896 1955); Mireille Gros (*1954); Hans Häusle (1889 1944); Erich Hermès (1881 1971); Ernst Georg Heussler (1903 1982); Valery Heussler (1920 2007); Karl Heinrich Hindenlang (1894 1960); Hermann Huber (1888 1967); Ernst Keiser (1894 1960); Traugott Keller (1886 1935); Ernst Kempter (1891 1958); Rudolf Koller (1828 1905); Jürg Kreienbühl (1932 2007); Adolf Kron (1884 1962); Lisa Krugell (1893 1977); Emma Kunz (1892 1963); Maria La Roche (1870 1952); René Lackerbauer (1861 1934); Guido Locca (1901 1969); Rudolf Löw (1878 1948); Luigi Lurati (1936 1967); Ernst Maass (1904 1971); Rudolf Maeglin (1892 1971); Hilde Mala-Reiwald (1895 1993); Georg Albrecht Mayer (1875 1952); Eti Meacock Engi (*1989); Theo Meier (1908 1982); Theo Modespacher (1897 1955); Jules Moos (1878 1960); Heinrich (Haiggi) Müller (1885 1960); Guido Nussbaum (*1948); Fritz Paravicini (1896 1934); Willy Quidort (1898 1978); Arthur Riedel (1888 1953); Philippe Robert (1881 1930); Otto Roos (1887 1945); Dieter Roth/Wiener Ingrid (1930 1998/*1942); William Röthlisberger (1862 1943); Paul Eduard Rüdisühli (1875 1938); Marcel Schaffner (1931 2012); Hermann Scherer (1893 1927); Ernesto Schiess (1872 1919); Emil Schill (1870 1958); Fritz (Frédéric) Schmid (1898 1979); Wilhelm Schmid (1892 1971); Johann Jakob Schneider (1904 1989); Albrecht Schnider (*1958); Albert Schnyder (1898 1989); Jean-Frédéric Schnyder (*1945); Karl Friedrich Schobinger (1879 1951); Emanuel Schöttli (1895 1926); Alfred Schuhmacher (1888 1981); Ida Gertrud Schwabe (1886 1980); Hans Rudolf Schwarzenbach (1911 1983); Louis Soutter (1871 1942); Ernst Stocker (Coghuf)(1905 1976); Niklaus Stoecklin (1896 1982); Ernst Streit (1909 1955); Robert Strübin (1897 1965); Hugo Suter (1943 2013); Stephan Jon Tramèr (*1956); Oskar Tröndle (1883 1945); Félix Vallotton (1865 1925); Jean-Pierre Viollier (1896 1985); Werner von Mutzenbecher (*1937); Louise Weitnauer (1881 1957); Fritz Widmann (1869 1937); Walter Kurt Wiemken (1907 vor 23.01.1941); Paul Wilde (1893 1936); Alfred Wirz (*1952); Otto Wyler (1887 1965); Paul Wyss (1897 1984); Eugen Zeller (1889 1974); Christa Ziegler (*1965); Paul Zoelly (1896 1971) Curators Thomas Schmutz, Curator of the Collection / Dep. Director Peter Suter, artist, author, and collector Curatorial Assistance Bettina Mühlebach, Assistant Curator
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, 2018. ISBN 978-3-85881-595-8 Preview for the Media Thursday, 25.1.2018, 10.30 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, 26.1.2018, 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, 26.1.2018, 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, 6.2.2018, 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, 1.3.2018, 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, 15.3.2018, 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, 18.3.2018, 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
Guided Tours Thursday, 6.30 pm 1.2. with Bettina Mühlebach, 5.4. with Astrid Näff, 12.4. with Astrid Näff Sunday, 11 am 28.1. with Bettina Mühlebach, 4.2. with Bettina Mühlebach, 11.2. with Astrid Näff, 18.2. with Brigitte Haas, 4.3. with Brigitte Haas, 18.3. with Brigitte Haas, 25.3. with Astrid Näff 1.4. Easter Sunday with Brigitte Haas, 15.4. with Astrid Näff Art Education Introduction for Educators Wednesday, 31.1., 2.30 4.30 pm Thursday, 1.2., 5.30 7 pm Open Studio Sunday, 28.1. / 25.2. / 25.3., 11 am 4 pm The studio is open for young and old creative minds. Art Hunt Saturday, 17.2. / 24.2. / 3.3. / 17.3. / 24.3. 10 am 12.30 pm (ages 9 13) 1.30 3.30 pm (ages 5 8) Children are introduced to art Family Sunday Sunday, 11.2. / 11.3. / 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)62 835 23 31, email 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 29.3. Good Friday 30.3., Easter 1.4., Easter Monday 2.4. Images for the Media Images are available for downloading on our website at www.aargauerkunsthaus.ch > Media. Please take note of the copyright.
For additional information please contact Thomas Schmutz, Curator of the Collection / Dep. Director Aargauer Kunsthaus, tel. +41 (0)62 835 23 22, email thomas.schmutz@ag.ch Bettina Mühlebach, Research Assistant, Aargauer Kunsthaus, T +41 (0)62 835 42 11, email bettina.muehlebach@ag.ch Filomena Colecchia, Communication / Media tel. +41 (0)62 835 23 34, email: filomena.colecchia@ag.ch Social media Become a fan of the Aargauer Kunsthaus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.