Since 2016, the Bündner Kunstmuseum Chur has had a new building next to the renovated Villa Planta for displaying its collection and for temporary exhibitions.
The villa, named after its owner Jacques Ambrosius von Planta (1826-1901), was built between 1874 and 1875 as a private residence.
The neoclassical building has a representative facade characterised by a portico supported by columns. The two sphinxes on the trapezoidal cheeks, the Pompeian paintings and the golden dome painting in Byzantine style allude to the builder’s activity as a merchant in Alexandria. The highlight of this Orientalism is a crescent moon on the top of the dome. Von Planta established a trading house in Alexandria in 1853, selling cotton, linseed and spices.
Von Planta sold the villa to the Rhaetian Railway in 1898. Heb company built a new office on the site and leased the Villa Planta as a cultural space. Since 1919, it has functioned as a museum. In 1957, the property was purchased by the canton.
Since 1990, the villa has housed the Bündner Kunstmuseum Chur. The new museum building opened in 2016, combining old and modern.
The collection developed from the specific cultural situation of the canton. It includes the influence of the mountain landscape, emigration, tourism and art history.
The Giacometti family of artists, Giovanni and his sons Alberto, Diego and Augusto, is prominently represented. The collection also includes sculptures, paintings and drawings by Angelika Kauffmann, Giovanni Segantini, Ferdinand Hodler and Cuno Amiet. Expressionism is another focus of the collection. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and the Basel-based artist group “Rot-Blau” are at the centre of this.
The museum also reflects the development of art in the canton from the early 20th century to the present. It has an extensive collection of works on paper (watercolours, drawings and photography).
Museum: Bündner Museum of Art ChurCity: Chur
Country: Switzerland
Address: Bahnhofstrasse 35
Website: http://www.buendner-kunstmuseum.ch