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Historic Sites, Sculpture

Secret sculptures in the Swiss countryside: Kloster Schönthal

April 20, 2021 No Comments

Not far from Basel, in beautiful countryside, lies Kloster Schönthal. This former monastery is is now an art foundation that opened in 2000.

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ABOUT ME

Originally from the UK, I'm based in Bern, Switzerland. I love visiting museums, castles and other cultural attractions as well as exploring Switzerland.

I'll be writing about my museum visits, new exhibitions opening and sharing tips for places to explore.

I hope you enjoy my blog, I'd love to hear any comments or suggestions.

Jane

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It is my turn on the @kunstladies advent calendar It is my turn on the @kunstladies advent calendar today on day 18. I’ve chosen a work currently featured in an exhibition all about how living things are connected to the natural cycle of darkness and light. This impressive tapestry by Susan Morris shows her sleep and wake patterns over three years, along with along with the amount of light she was exposed to during that time. Different times of day and also the seasons can clearly be seen. Night is at the bottom and midday in the middle. The theme of our advent calendar this year is #silentnight and looking at this work the peacefulness that can be experienced in light and dark at various stages of the day and seasons came through strongly for me. Susan Morris, SunDial: NightWatch_Activity and Light 2010-2012 can be seen @gewerbemuseumwinterthur until 11 May 2025 in the exhibition Lighten Up! In the rhythm of day and night runs until 11 May 2025 #mostlymuseums #kunstladiesadvent #iloveswissmuseums #museumspass #smpambassador #museumandme @museumspass #silentnight #gewerbemuseumwinterthur
Beautiful photos giving a snapshot of a country at Beautiful photos giving a snapshot of a country at a moment in time. Antoin Sevruguin was born in 1851 to Armenian parents in Iran, he grew up in Tiflis (now Tbilisi), Georgia, and later worked in Tehran. Today, we would call him a “Secondo” (an expression used for and by “second-generation” immigrants in Switzerland); for a long time, he referred to himself as a “Russian photographer.” He spoke Persian, Armenian, Georgian, and probably Azeri (a Turkic language) and advertised himself in French as a “photographe artistique,” but he saw himself as an Iranian. His goal was to make a portrait of his native country that was as comprehensive as possible. Text: Museum Rietberg. Iran Portrait of a Country runs until 5 January #mostlymuseums #iloveswissmuseums #museumspass #smpambassador #museumandme @museumspass #museumrietberg #iranphotography #antoinsevruguin #photographyexhibition
For as long as I have lived in Switzerland Villa F For as long as I have lived in Switzerland Villa Flora in Winterthur has been closed for refurbishment. It reopened early this year and it was worth the wait. The house has been beautifully restored so that you get an idea of what it would have been like when the original owners lived here. In each of the rooms there’s an indication of what the original use would have been and a QR code to find out more about it and the artworks. It is one of those places that makes me happy just by being there, its fair to say that I loved it! Villa Flora was built in 1846 and renovated in 1908 in the style of Art Nouveau. It was home to Hedy Hahnloser-Bühler and the physician Arthur Hahnloser. Between 1906 and 1936, they collected Post-Impressionist art, works by the Nabis, Fauves, and Swiss artists like Ferdinand Hodler and Giovanni Giacometti. They became friends with Félix Vallotton, Pierre Bonnard and other artists and Villa Flora became a meeting place for artists and art lovers. The current art is on display until 5 January with rooms full of work by Cezanne, Vallotton, Van Gogh and Manet. 🖼️ Paul Cezanne, Taubenturm in Bellevue, 1890 🖼️ Vincent van Gogh, Le semeur, 1888 🖼️ Felix Vallotton, Lac Saint-James, matin, 1918 🖼️ Pierre Bonnard, les faunes, um 1905-10 🖼️ Felix Vallotton, Hedy Hahnloser, 1908 #mostlymuseums #villaflorawinterthur #iloveswissmuseums #museumspass #smpambassador #museumandme @museumspass #villaflora #kunstmuseumwinterthur @kunst_museum_winterthur #cezanne #vangogh #vallotton #bonnard @museumspassambassador
Oliviero Toscani, arguably best known for his bold Oliviero Toscani, arguably best known for his bold Benetton adverts, is a photographer and creative director. This is the first exhibition to show his whole body of work and it is organised chronologically to give a full picture of his life and career. Oliviero Toscani. Photography and Provocation runs until 5 January @museumgestaltung #mostlymuseums #olivierotoscani #museumgestaltung #designmuseumzurich #iloveswissmuseums #museumspass #smpambassador #museumandme @museumspass #olivierotoscaniphotos #photography #photographyexhibition #museumgestaltungzürich
A huge ‘EGO’, lies, Hot Mess are just some of A huge ‘EGO’, lies, Hot Mess are just some of the words that you’ll find depicted in this exhibition @kunsthallewinterthur They are the work of American artist Nancy Dwyer. She uses the language of advertising, song lyrics, slang and idioms in her works. Words are at the heart of what she does and boldly so. Only a couple more days to see this exhibition before it closes on Sunday 1 December. #mostlymuseums #iloveswissmuseums #museumspass #smpambassador #museumandme @museumspass #nancydwyer #kunsthallewinterthur #nancydwyerdesign
Located by the lake in Thun, in the park of Schlos Located by the lake in Thun, in the park of Schloss Schadau is a round building. It contains the Thun Panorama, created by Marquard Wocher over 5 years from 1809 to 1814. It captures Thun at this time, the details in it are beautiful. It was a tourist attraction from its opening in 1814 (in Basel) and visitors came from around the world to visit it. Sadly Wocher had money troubles and the panorama was sold to a Basel architect who donated it to the Thun Civic Improvement Society in 1899. There was no suitable place to show it and was only opened again to the public in 1961 in the new rotunda. There’s an audio guide and lots of information to explain the fascinating story of the panorama. #mostlymuseums #iloveswissmuseums #museumspass #smpambassador #museumandme @museumspass #thunpanorama #thunerpanorama #kunstmuseumthunpanorama @kunstmuseumthunpanorama
Managed to find time to visit the Guggenheim on my Managed to find time to visit the Guggenheim on my recent Venice trip, always a please to see great art in a wonderful location. Gino Severini, Sea=Dancer, 1914 Tancredi Parmeggiani, Untitled, 1955 Joan Mitchell, Composition, 1962 Jean-Paul Riopelle, Dipinto, 1955 Fernand Leger, Men in the City, 1919 #mostlymuseums #guggenheim #modernart #guggenheimmuseum #guggenheimvenice #peggyguggenheim #peggyguggenheimcollection
One of my favourite rooms at this year’s Biennal One of my favourite rooms at this year’s Biennale was the one devoted to Abstraction. The colours! 📷 Eduardo Terrazas, 1.1.91, 1970-72, Mexico 📷 Anwar Jalal Shemza, Composition in red, green and yellow, 1963, UK 📷 Marco Ospina, Abstratcto, no date, Colombia 📷 Ione Saldanha, Bambus, 1960s/70s, Brazil 📷 Rafa al-Nasiri, Untitled, 1971, Iraq #mostlymuseums #VeniceBiennale #ForeignersEverywhere #ArtBeyondBorders #abstractart #modernism #geometricart
Foreigners Everywhere – This year’s Venice Bie Foreigners Everywhere – This year’s Venice Biennale couldn’t be more timely or powerful. Migration, decolonization, and identity are woven through so many of the works, each telling a unique story. It was amazing to see so many traditionally, underrepresented artists finally take centre stage – I lost count of the times I read ‘first time at the Biennale‘ on the labels. I will share some of my highlights in a few posts, first up the country pavillions, it was really hard to pick a favourite but I especially liked the US, Spanish, Australian, Benin and Turkey. 📷 USA, Jeffrey Gibson; The Space in Which to Place Me, 2024 📷 Australia, Kith and Kin, Archie Moore, 2024 📷 Republic of Benin, Everything Precious is Fragile, Moufouli Bello, Chloe Quenum, Ishola Akpo, Romuald Hazoume, 2024 📷 Türkiye, Hollow and Broken: A State of the World, Gülsün Karamustafa, 2023 📷 Spain, Migrant Art Gallery, Sandra Gamarra Heshiki, 2024 #mostlymuseums #VeniceBiennale #ForeignersEverywhere #ArtBeyondBorders #venicebiennale2024
Visit @kunstmuseumthunpanorama to discover the tex Visit @kunstmuseumthunpanorama to discover the textile works of Gunta Stölzl and Johannes Itten. Their lives crossed paths multiple times and they had a life long friendship. Both were Bauhaus Masters which is where they met. She was one of the first students at the Bauhaus and, helped by Itten, she established a women’s class which was also led by women. It was on her initiative that it became a weaving class which she would then go on to lead. There are numerous clothes and textiles on display, including patterns, fabric samples as well as finished garments. This was a real highlight for me. I loved the ginko top and the black and gold ginko fabric! Gunta Stölzl and Johannes Itten. Textile Universes runs until 1 December. #iloveswissmuseums #museumspass #smpambassador #museumandme @museumspass #mostlymuseums #kunstmuseumthun #johannesitten #guntastolzl #textiles #textiledesign #bauhaus #modernism #modernart #textileart
Whilst on holiday in the Loire Valley I discovered Whilst on holiday in the Loire Valley I discovered the work of French expressionist artist, Bernard Buffet in an exhibition @fontevraud I really like his ‘spikey’ style and his portrayal of people. #mostlymuseums #bernardbuffet #fontevraud #expressionism #loirevalley #fontevraud #fontevraudmuseedartmoderne #fontevraudabbey
You can currently see works by Warhol, Lichtenstei You can currently see works by Warhol, Lichtenstein and Rothko @museumfranzgertsch in Burgdorf. They are working with @louisianamuseum in Denmark and have around 70 works from their collection juxtaposed with Franz Gertsch’s art. Louisiana Visits Franz Gertsch. Post-War and Contemporary Art in Dialogue runs until 2 March 2025 #mostlymuseums #iloveswissmuseums #museumspass #smpambassador #museumandme @museumspass #franzgertsch #burgdorf #modernart #andywarhol #louisianamuseumofmodernart #louisianamuseum
A few highlights from the sculpture triennial @bad A few highlights from the sculpture triennial @badragartz Happy I got to see it before it finishes at the end of the month. I always find it better seeing sculptures like these out in the open air, Bad Ragaz and the mountains make for a spectacular backdrop. #badradartz #mostlymuseums #iloveswissmuseums #museumspass #smpambassador #museumandme @museumspass #sculpture #sculpturepark #girlsinmuseums
Highlights from our holiday in the Loire Valley. 1 Highlights from our holiday in the Loire Valley. 18 Chateaux in total. Beautiful gardens, fantastic architecture and interesting history. We loved it! #mostlymuseums #valdeloire #valdeloiretourisme
A highlight of our visit to @chateau_angers was th A highlight of our visit to @chateau_angers was the huge Apocalypse tapestry. In addition to being the oldest surviving set of tapestries of their kind, it is displayed in an exhibition room, specially built for it in the 1950s. The detail, imagination and craftsmanship are breathtaking and we spend ages looking at the tapestries, sometimes trying to work out what was happening or what was being portrayed! #mostlymuseums #chateauangers #unesco #apocalypsetapestry #visitangers #valdeloiretourisme #tapestry #girlsinmuseums #apocalypsetapestryofangers
Trip to @kunstmuseumluzern to see the Ugo Rondinon Trip to @kunstmuseumluzern to see the Ugo Rondinone exhibition. From his monumental stone figures and lightning ‘branches’ to his bronze birds, fishes and horses the exhibition is full of work inspired by landscape and the power of nature. Only a few more weeks to see it before it closes on 20 October. #mostlymuseums #iloveswissmuseums #museumspass #smpambassador #museumandme @museumspass #kunstmuseumluzern #ugorondinone #swissartist #contemporaryart
If you like gardens and art then this is the place If you like gardens and art then this is the place for you! I discovered it on a recent holiday in the Loire Valley. We visited lots of different castles on our trip and this was one of my highlights. @domainedechaumontsurloire combines beautiful gardens with art. Every year they hold an International Garden Festival and there’s plenty of art to see in the gardens, stables and the chateau itself. We ended up spending the whole day here. 📷 Stéphane Guiran 📷 Damien Cabanes 📷 Sheila Hicks 📷 Vincent Barré 📷 Grégoire Scalabre 📷 Christian Lapie #mostlymuseums #chaumontsurloire #domainedechaumontsurloire #loirevalley #sculpturepark #gardens #chateaudeloire #loiretchertourisme #centrevaldeloire #girlsinmuseums
Only a few more weeks to this this wonderful exhib Only a few more weeks to this this wonderful exhibition @tate. I visited on a trip to London just after it opened and can't believe that it is almost closing! Expressionist art is one of my favourites and this exhibition didn't disappoint. It focuses on the friendships between the artists and gives women artists the equal exposure that they deserve as they were central to the movement. I was already familiar with many of their works and stories from seeing the excellent Making Modernism exhibition at the Royal Academy and an exhibition devoted to Gabriela Münther that was held at Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern a couple of years ago. The exhibition has been made possible through a collaboration with @lenbachhaus in Munich who have a large collection of works by members of the Blue Rider group. There are more than 130 works in the exhibition and this is the first time that they have been brought together in the UK for over 60 years. Expressionists: Kandinsky, Münter and the Blue Rider Runs until 20 October Franz Marc, Tiger, 1912 Elisabeth Epstein, Self-Portrait, 1911 Marianne Werefkin, The Dancer, Alexander Sacharoff, 1909 Gabriella Münter, Portrait of Marianne Werefkin, 1909 Franz Marc, In the Rain, 1912 August Macke, Portrait with Apples, 1909 Franz Marc, Deer in the Snow II, 1911 #tate #tatemodern #expressionists #expressionism #thebluerider #kandinsky #gabrielamunter #franzmarc #londonexhibition #derblauereiter #blauereiter
Really interesting exhibition featuring artist Cha Really interesting exhibition featuring artist Chaïm Soutine @kunstmuseumbern at the moment. His works include distorted landscapes, depictions of everyday people and graphic still lifes. He was born in Minsk in current day Belarus before moving to Paris to pursue his artistic ambitions. He was shy by nature and surrounded himself with a small group of people including Amedeo Modigliani. I really love that my @museumspass has let me discover so many diverse artists! #mostlymuseums #iloveswissmuseums #museumspass #smpambassador #museumandme #kunstmuseumbern #museenbern #visitbern #ilovebern #madeinbern #chaimsoutine
Thorvald Hellesen, Balalaika, c. 1916 @nasjonalmus Thorvald Hellesen, Balalaika, c. 1916 @nasjonalmuseet Oslo #mostlymuseums #nationalmuseumoslo #thorvaldhellesen #norwegianmodernist #nasjonalmuseet #oslomuseum #modernart
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