Kunsthaus Zürich reviews 2007 and presents its Annual Programme for 2008 |
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With classic photographs by Edward Steichen, European Pop Art, contemporary Swiss art and Italian Modernism, in 2008 Kunsthaus Zürich will present as wide a range of temporary exhibitions as ever to complement its permanent collection. Weekend openings will be extended. The past year has been a success, with an attendance figure of 310,000. The international architectural competition for the new extension is already under way.
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Kunsthaus Zürich
INTERIM REPORT FOR 2007 AND PROSPECTS FOR 2008
At the Annual Press Conference on 10 January 2008 Walter B. Kielholz, President of the Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, presented the interim report for the Kunsthaus. In 2007 the museum had 310,000 visitors (2006: 287,000). Membership of the Kunstgesellschaft has risen to 20,400 (2006: 19,997). The books are once again balanced and the budgetary aims 2008 will be met.
The proposed expenditure is 16.4 million Swiss francs. It is expected that overall the Kunsthaus will make a loss. The new employment contract that has been in force since 2007, the costs incurred in the planning stages of the extension and ever rising energy costs have increased the Kunsthaus’s outgoings to the detriment of its exhibitions budget. The Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft has both made savings and sought additional sponsors to counteract the creeping damage to its exhibition activities that has been apparent for some years now.
KUNSTHAUS EXTENSION PROGRESSING
The international architectural competition for the Kunsthaus extension has been launched. At present the pre-qualification phase is under way. The full competition documentation will be issued in April 2008, if the city legislature approves the project loan. The winning design will be chosen by the end of 2008, and it is proposed that the new extension will be opened in 2015.
PROGRAMME FOR 2008
EDWARD STEICHEN. IN HIGH FASHION, 1923–1937. 11 JANUARY–30 MARCH
Edward Steichen (1879–1973) was one of the most important, creative and controversial photographers of the 20th century. This exhibition is the first comprehensive presentation of Steichen’s original prints of his work for the fashion and glamour industry. Steichen memorably defined the fashion photographer as an artist.
EUROPOP. 15 FEBRUARY–12 MAY
‘Pop Art’ was not an American invention. In the late 1950s, European artists started to engage with the pictorial worlds of advertising, television and popular culture. European Pop Art appeared more highly differentiated than its American counterpart; combining socio-critical and political themes, it also easily connected other artistic movements. A contribution to culture by Credit Suisse – Partner of the Kunsthaus Zürich.
SHIFTING IDENTITIES – SWISS ART TODAY. 6 JUNE–31 AUGUST
Are the exponents of Swiss art truly Swiss? This exhibition focuses both on the dissolution of traditional notions of identity and on new identity constructs developed by contemporary artists in paintings, installations, sculpture and film. The exhibition will be marked by interventions in public spaces. This exhibition is supported by Swiss Re – Partner for contemporary art.
THE MARC RICH COLLECTION. 20 JUNE–3 AUGUST
The Marc Rich Collection, which was given to the Kunsthaus in 1989, spans an arc from the early pioneers of photography in the mid-nineteenth century via the Pictorialism of the ‘Photo Secession’, ‘straight photography’, Surrealism, Constructivism and Bauhaus to the poetic-documentary Realism that first emerged in the mid-twentieth century.
SAUL STEINBERG. ILLUMINATIONS. 22 AUGUST–2 NOVEMBER
Saul Steinberg (1914–1999) was draughtsman, painter, collagist and sculptor in one. His illustrations for the ‘New Yorker’ were widely renowned. Humour, an acute eye for human frailties and vanities, an unstoppable imagination and a virtuoso technique are the hallmarks of Steinberg’s work.
RIVOLUZIONE! ITALIAN MODERNISM FROM SEGANTINI TO BALLA. 26 SEPTEMBER 2008–11 JANUARY 2009
In the late 19th century, Divisionism gave a whole generation of artists the wherewithal to break with the past in terms of both form and content – thereby also paving the way for Futurism. Critical of the injustices of the early industrial society, the Divisionists regarded their paintings as a vehicle that could help to promote social change. They memorably developed their own techniques for the application of primary colours next to and over each other using a variety of dots, streaks, dabs and lines, so that the hues only mingle in the eye of the beholder.
PICTURE BALLOT 2008. 17 OCTOBER 2008–4 JANUARY 2009
The Members of the Kunstgesellschaft will vote for their favourite in a selection of medieval sculptures; the winner will be the subject of a special focus exhibition.
RUNA ISLAM. 28 NOVEMBER 2008–8 FEBRUARY 2009
Runa Islam’s work revolves around the medium of film and all its many facets. Born in Bangladesh in 1970 and currently living and working in London, Islam deconstructs linear narrative patterns and time sequences. She will realise a new film work for the Kunsthaus Zürich.
FRIEDRICH KUHN. 12 DECEMBER 2008–1 MARCH 2009
Friedrich Kuhn (1926–1972) is widely regarded as the most striking representative of the art scene in the 1960s that was soon dubbed the ‘Zurich School of the Little Mad World’ and whose members came together to counter the then dominance of abstract/concrete art. This cross-section of his work highlights the current artistic relevance of this idiosyncratic painter.
KUNSTHAUS NIGHTS. SATURDAYS FROM 7 PM UNTIL MIDNIGHT
2 February. Picasso’s Women.
ART EDUCATION
Besides the many hundreds of guided tours and workshops detailed on the website at www.kunsthaus.ch, there will be another Summer Workshop open to all generations. The popular Kids Club will be accepting new members in March. An audio guide for teens is in preparation and will be available in late 2008.
NEW OPENING TIMES
Sat/Sun/Tues 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Wed/Thurs/Fri 10 a.m.–8 p.m. |
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Kunsthaus Zürich
Datum: 15.1.2008
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