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Discover ETH Zurich’s Art Collection in Lugano

December 14, 2023
When the Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich was founded in 1867, one would not have foreseen that it would grow to become one of the largest of its kind in Switzerland.

ETH Zürich is nationally and internationally recognized and renowned – but not everyone knows about its exceptional and valuable collection of prints and drawings. Until 7 January 2024, the Museo d’arte della Svizzera italiana (MASI) in Lugano is offering a unique opportunity to discover around 300 masterpieces from this collection. In the exhibition “From Albrecht Dürer to Andy Warhol. Masterpieces from the Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich“, we are showing works by leading figures as Rembrandt van Rijn, Francisco de Goya, Egon Schiele, Käthe Kollwitz, Pablo Picasso, alongside pieces by living artists as Miriam Cahn, Candida Höfer and John M Armleder – both a feast for the eyes and an interesting and instructive tour through art history.

Visitors exploring the exhibition at the opening of “From Albrecht Dürer to Andy Warhol. Masterpieces from the Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich” (MASI Lugano, Gabriele Spalluto)

When the Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich was founded in 1867, one would not have foreseen that it would grow to become one of the largest of its kind in Switzerland. Originally, it was established as a university collection intended to serve study and teaching activities. Its initiator Gottfried Kinkel, who was also Professor for Art History and Archaeology at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic, was aware of the importance of such a collection. He noted that “a teacher of modern art [needs] a large number of illustrations, because all forms of art strike us more closely via the eyes than via the ear”. Ever since, Kinkel and his successors have discussed and explored the collection in their classes. Since then, it has developed into an institution of international renown. With some 160,000 works on paper, it is one of the largest and most significant collections of its kind in Switzerland. In short: a traditional university collection has also become an important art collection attracting people interested in art.

The curator Linda Schädler installing the exhibition at MASI Lugano in August 2023 (Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich)
The exhibition at MASI Lugano being prepared in August 2023 (Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich)

Usually, we store the fragile artworks well-protected in the depot or present them in smaller temporary exhibition. For the first time, we are now showing around 300 of our highlights from the 15th century to the present day. As one can imagine, it was no easy task to select from the 160,000 works in the collection. I had to cross many gems off the list again, even though they would undoubtedly also have been among the works particularly worth seeing. The ultimate selection takes the visitor on a journey through the centuries. My intention is to show our masterpieces and at the same time tell people stories and little-known facts on the origins, functions and importance of these works through the centuries.

Installation view of the exhibition “From Albrecht Dürer to Andy Warhol. Masterpieces from the Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich” at MASI Lugano (MASI Lugano, Gabriele Spalluto)
People looking at the portraits and self-portraits of artists at the Opening of the exhibition at MASI Lugano (MASI Lugano, Gabriele Spalluto)

Let me briefly mention one example from a previous century: Albrecht Dürer’s wonderful woodcut “The Rhinoceros” of 1515. It is based on a live rhinoceros that had arrived by ship in a suburb of Lisbon, which was a great sensation at the time. Although Dürer did not see the animal himself, he immediately set out to design a print of it, instead relying on descriptions from a letter which also contained a drawing of the rhinoceros. Although Dürer’s intention was to follow reports about the animal’s appearance as closely as possible, some details, however, such as the small second horn located between the shoulders, are completely invented. Still, his depiction was so convincing that it shaped European conceptions of the rhinoceros for centuries. Examples from the 20th and 21st centuries are given proof of the fact that for contemporary artists, it is still important to work with different printing techniques, as for example Vera Molnar who utilises computers since the early 1970s, and is considered a pioneer in this cross-technological field. Or for example Christiane Baumgartner, who transfers film stills into large woodcuts.

One of MASI’s technician hanging up Albrecht Dürer’s “Adam and Eve” (1504) in August 2023 (MASI Lugano, Gabriele Spalluto)
Curator Linda Schädler giving a guided tour for VIPs at the opening in Lugano (MASI Lugano, Gabriele Spalluto)

Besides, you can also discover drawings by Alberto Giacometti or Egon Schiele, see photographs by Fischli / Weiss or artist’s books by Meret Oppenheim. Even though I had to make a rigorous selection, I am delighted to be able to show some exceptional treasures to a wider audience.

The speakers at the opening: Joël Mesot (President of ETH Zürich), Roberto Badaracco (Vize-President of the City of Lugano), Marina Carobbio Guscetti (Member of the Council of States), Arianna Quagli (Project Coordination at MASI, was not holding a speech), Linda Schädler (Head of Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich and Curator of the Exhibition), Tobia Bezzola (Director Museo d’arte Svizzera italiana (MASI) (from left to right) (MASI Lugano, Gabriele Spalluto)
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Linda Schädler Dr Linda Schädler is an art historian and has been Head of the Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich since 2016. In her role, she often initiates co-operations inside and outside ETH Zürich that result in exhibitions, events or research projects. She has curated several interdisciplinary exhibitions, including “The Hidden Horizontal. Cornices in Art and Architecture” (2021). Prior to her job as Head of the Collection, she worked as a Postdoc at the Institute of Art History (Prof. Dr. Sebastian Egenhofer) at the University of Zurich and at the Chair for the History of Art and Architecture (Prof. Dr. Philip Ursprung) at ETH Zürich. Before her dissertation “James Coleman und die Anamorphose. Der Blick von der Seite” was published (2013), she worked at the Kunstmuseum Basel as a research assistant in the collection and at the Kunsthaus Zürich as a curator/assistant curator.

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