Kunsthaus Grenchen
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The Kunsthaus Grenchen is a Swiss art museum opposite the Grenchen Süd train station in the canton of Solothurn . The focus of the collection is on prints of regional, national and international importance.
history
Starting in 1964, the company campaigned for a Grenchen art museum for a room in which exhibitions can be held and works of art can be stored. After the merger of the company for a Grenchner art museum with the local art association for Art Society Grenchen (KGG) in 1971, followed a year later, the establishment of the Foundation Grenchner Kunsthaus . The foundation is supported by the Grenchen community and the KGG. Both parties contributed their collections, which had arisen from donations and private purchases over time, to the foundation's assets, which form the basis for today's collection at the Kunsthaus Grenchen. The "International Triennial for Colored Original Graphics", which has been taking place regularly in Grenchen since 1958, is a buying platform and was a decisive factor in the decision to focus the Kunsthaus' collection on graphics.
In May 1984, the foundation achieved one of its main goals with the opening of the Kunsthaus at its current location across from Grenchen Süd train station. The so-called «Girardhaus» from the 19th century, which originally served as the residence of the doctor Josef Girard and later as a schoolhouse, still serves as the premises. In 2008 the exhibition area was enlarged with an extension.
The first curator of the Kunsthaus was the gallery owner Toni Brechbühl from Grenchen, who held this position until 1990. His successor was Gerald Lechner, who ran the Kunsthaus for nine years. This was followed by Dolores Denaro (until 2001) and Hannes Luterbacher (2001-2007).
With the expansion in 2008, Eva Inversini took over the artistic direction of the Kunsthaus Grenchen. In 2017 she handed over her position to Claudine Metzger.
Sponsorship, support
The community of Grenchen and the Grenchen art society form the foundation of the Grenchner Kunsthaus to support the Kunsthaus. The Board of Trustees consists of seven members. The Grenchner Kunsthaus Foundation primarily aims to collect, preserve and convey contemporary art, especially printmaking, and to promote national, especially regional, printmaking. In the course of the expansion in 2008, the Friends of the Kunsthaus Grenchen Association was brought into being. He makes purchases, which are donated to the foundation, and regularly supports the Kunsthaus with financial contributions.
architecture
In order to offer more space to both the constantly growing collection and the temporary exhibitions, the Solothurn architecture firm ssm Architekten AG was commissioned to design an extension. The building, which was awarded the architecture prize of the Canton of Solothurn, was inaugurated in 2008. A single-storey solid construction forms the basic construction of the ground-level and column-free exhibition space. The outer wall consists of a mesh of raw 5/100 mm steel strips, which received their characteristic orange-red color through oxidation. Openings in the outer wall allow visual references from the exhibition room to the sculpture garden. Towards the train station, the facade opens into a wide glass front that offers a view of the spacious foyer.
collection
The collection of the Kunsthaus Grenchen comprises around 17,000, mostly contemporary prints by national and international artists. Works by artists from the Canton of Solothurn (Solodorensia) are particularly well represented. The artistic work of Franz-Anatol Wyss , Peter Wullimann, Franz Eggenschwiler and Peter Travaglini is almost entirely present in the collection. In 2012, both Jörg Mollet and Urs Dickerhof donated all of their graphic works to the Kunsthaus Grenchen.
The collection also brings together works by well-known Swiss artists such as John Armleder , Hans Arp , Samuel Buri , Alois Carigiet , Coghuf , Otto Frölicher , Giovanni Giacometti , Urs Graf, Ferdinand Hodler , Rolf Iseli , Richard Paul Lohse , Bernhard Luginbühl , Meret Oppenheim , Daniel Spoerri , Hans Jegerlehner u. a. m. The international prints with representatives such as Elvira Bach , Jürgen Brodwolf , Sandro Chia , Jasper Johns , James Turrell and Victor Vasarely embed the collection in a larger art-historical context.
In addition to prints, the collection also includes paintings and sculptures, including some large sculptures that are permanently open to the public in the park of the Kunsthaus.
Exhibitions, art education and events
Every year the Kunsthaus Grenchen shows four to six changing exhibitions, with individual presentations, group exhibitions on current topics and smaller retrospectives alternating. In addition, there are 1–2 collection presentations annually. The fixed program also includes the judged annual exhibition “IMPRESSION - Exhibition for Printmaking”, which has been held since 2008 at the end of the year. Initially annually, it has been held biennially since 2013. The exhibitions are designed to have a supra-regional impact and complement the events of other cultural institutions.
In the area of art education, guided tours are offered and work discussions and encounters with the artists are organized. Creative workshops for children and adults on various topics are also held in the in-house workshop ateliers. The children's art club “Press Buttons” also meets in the studios. It consists of one or two groups of children between the ages of eight and twelve who want to learn more about art and who enjoy being creative. The snaps meet ten times a year, and at the end of the year there is a small exhibition of their work with a vernissage for the whole family and friends in the foyer of the Kunsthaus.
Web links
- Website of the Kunsthaus Grenchen
- Kunsthaus Grenchen on VMS - Association of Swiss Museums
Individual evidence
- ↑ Nationwide broadcast: 30 years of the Kunsthaus Grenchen. In: SRF . March 12, 2014.
- ↑ Oliver Quantity: Eva Inversini: “The Kunsthaus Grenchen is important for the region”. In: Grenchner Tagblatt . July 12, 2012.
- ↑ Oliver Quantity: New Artistic Director: «Museum should be a place of exchange». In: Grenchner Tagblatt. October 6, 2016.
- ^ The Board of Trustees of the Kunsthaus Grenchen. In: Website of the Kunsthaus Grenchen.
- ↑ Kunsthaus Grenchen. Architectural awards from the Canton of Solothurn.
- ^ Extension of the Kunsthaus Grenchen. In: website of ssm Architekten AG.
- ↑ Collection exhibition on photography and printmaking. In: Website of the Kunsthaus Grenchen.
- ^ History and focus of the collection. In: Website of the Kunsthaus Grenchen.
- ↑ Sculptures from different decades show the diversity of three-dimensional creativity. In: Website of the Kunsthaus Grenchen.
- ↑ Children's Art Club snap fasteners. In: Website of the Kunsthaus Grenchen.