Expressionism was more than just an art movement around 1900. it was an attitude to life, a protest against the bourgeoisie of the era.
Expressionist artists significantly changed modernism. In Switzerland, too, a radically new pictorial language developed before the First World War, parallel to trends throughout Europe.
Instead of painting oriented on reality, strongly subjective forms of design now took over. Colors and forms virtually exploded and pulverized all familiar styles and their rules.
These progressive tendencies found different expressions in different places in the country.
They joined together to form short-lived artist collectives such as “Der Moderne Bund” in Lucerne in 1911 and the Basel group “Rot-Blau” in the 1920s. The exhibition presents the various artists and the impetuous impact of their work.