Agenda

On the occasion of its 100th anniversary, the museum focuses on the art of Graubünden before the Reformation (1530). The exhibition also devotes itself to the historie of the Villa Planta, the museum’s location since 1919. The historical objects are not shown themselves, but on the basis of photographs by the artist Florio Puenter. The exhibition presents works from various artistic and cultural areas that show the artistic richness of Grisons, including archaeological finds from the Calancatal, the marble statues of the St. Johan monastery in Müstair, reliquaries from the Chur Cathedral Treasure House and Gothic frescoes from Waltensburg. In the exhibition they are reproduced in full size by means of black and white photographs, which emphasizes the aesthetic quality of the selected objects.

Two of the creators of the most incisive and critical drawings in art history join up in an exhibition for the first time: Honoré Daumier (1808-1879) and Raymond Pettibon (1957). In their oeuvres, the two comment with satirical acuity and great wit on the events of their respective epochs. The works of both artists focus on politics and society, the everyday and current events. The juxtaposition of Daumier and Pettibon surprisingly highlights how much they have in common. Bringing their artworks together in one place offers an enriching experience, as each reciprocally sharpens the eye for the other, such that these two outstanding artists foster a highly topical dialogbetween the 19th century and today.

The helvetisms testify to the linguistic diversity of Switzerland and the mutual influence of the national languages. This wealth is also reflected in the literature. Through a choice of favourite helvetisms and spoken word performances, the exhibition bridges the (alleged) contradictions and promotes understanding between the different language communities in Switzerland.

The exhibition presents a underwater world awash with light and provides an insight into exotic flora and fauna. Michel Roggo (1951) is a freshwater photographer who won multiple awards. In 2010, he launched his ambitious ‘Freshwater Project’ to draw attention to endangered freshwater habitats. Around 900 photos document the on which Michel Roggo embarked throughout his Project.

Debris Field (2010–2016) stands for the variety of approaches and modes of expression employed by Lois Weinberger (1947). His artistic-archaeological work explores and presents relics from several centuries of history found at Weinberger’s parents’ farm. The farm managed by the family until today is linked to Stams Abbey and reflects a history of mutual influence. It preserves and tells stories of piety, superstition and the sparse life full of privation between the high culture of the abbey and forms of behaviour linked to the late medieval period. Due to the lack of contact with the ground and dampness, this ‘archaeology of the housed’ reveals a wealth of objects much like a chamber of curiosities, an amazing universe of peasant life that enables a more profound take on everyday life.

The exhibition presents the largest medieval castle ruin on the Upper Rhine, the Rötteln Castle.  It sheds light on the eventful history of the castle and shows how its dominion – the Markgräflerland – developed between Basel and France. Around 300 exhibits and digital reconstructions bring various centuries since the High Middle Ages to life.

The exhibition shows oil paintings by Luigi Chialiva (1842-1914), Luigi Rossi (1853-1923), Filipo Franzoni (1857-1911) created between 1865 and 1920 as well as works in oil, watercolour and tempera by Sergio Maina (1913-2009) from the years 1933 to 1974.

During the period of the renovation of the Segantini Museum in St. Moritz, the works of Giovanni Segantini (1858-1899) can be seen in various other places. The famous Triptychon first left St. Moritz to be housed together with other works in the exhibition “Hodler, Segantini, Giacometti” in the Museo dell’ Arte della Svizzera (Masi) in Lugano. Paintings on the theme of water sources and spring water stayed closer to home. They are, very appropriately, to be seen at the Forum Paracelsus in St. Moritz Bad. The other places of exil are the art museum in St. Gallen (from 28 September) on the theme of the light of the Alps and the Cläsa Granda in Stampa (from 1 June), on the subject between Maloja and Soglio, the region where Segantini has painted and lived a lot, among others also in Savognin. (Further information: www.segantini-museum.ch).

The Bishop’s Church in Basel, the Münster, celebrates its 1000th anniversary. On this occasion, the museum presents a special exhibition with unique objects and new reconstructions that highlight the architecture and architectural history of the cathedral from the early Middle Ages to the beginning of modern times. It exhibits impressive works of medieval stonemasonry and sculpture, excavation finds on display for the first time, as well as magnificent documents and manuscripts.

The museum presents the artist Joann Sfar (1971) in a large-scale overview exhibition with over 200 original drawings, watercolours, paintings and film clips, while focusing on his latest works. Today, his oeuvre includes over 160 publications in the French-speaking world alone. His books revolve around Judaism, touch on issues pertaining to spirituality, faith and philosophy, respond to political and societal events, or address love, sexuality and his own life. The series “The Rabbi’s Cat”, which began in 2001, currently encompasses eight volumes and is keenly followed by hundreds of thousands of readers.