Previous Art Exhibitions

• 2023 - Discover the Unseen - Mental Health Art Unveiled
• 2022 - Otto Tschumi - Surreal Worlds
• 2021 - Ghosts. Video Art by Peter Aerschmann
• 2020 - Dürrenmatt as sketch artist and painter
• 2019 - Marc Chagall
• 2018 - Marguerite Frey-Surbek & Victor Surbek
• 2018 - Anton Reckziegel (1865–1936) back in the Present
• 2017 - Ernst Kreidolf (1863 – 1956) and the Alps
• 2016 - Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880 - 1938) - Dresden - Berlin - Davos
• 2015 - Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) - Acrobats, women and bullfights
• 2011 - Adolf Hölzel
• 2009 - Rembrandt
• 2007 - Louis Moilliet

 

Discover the Unseen - Mental Health Art Unveiled

17 June until 15 October 2023

“True art is always found where you least expect it!”
Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985)

Embark on an engrossing journey at Spiez Castle, where this years special exhibition unveils the transformative power of creative expression and the relationship between psychiatry and art.

In recent years, remarkable individuals from the Wohin Foundation Spiez – an institution supporting psychological well-being – have created diverse works of art within and around the castle. A curated selection of these captivating images sets the stage for this year's must-see exhibition.

Along with these pictures and drawings, works from the likes of Adolf Wölfli, Rosa Marbach, and Karl Schneeberger complement the exhibition, courtesy of the Swiss Psychiatry Museum in Bern. Our documentation offers unprecedented insights into the day-to-day life of the Waldau psychiatric clinic during the early 20th century; capturing an evolving relationship between art and psychiatry that transcends Swiss borders.

The exhibition is further enriched by creations from the Waldau Art Workshop, highlighting the diversity of contemporary works produced by artists of all genders who have have received psychiatric treatment. Enjoy the works of Jonas Scheidegger, Martin Flückiger, Madeleine Mollet, René Kleeb, Regina Eichenberger, Abaev Lechi, Caroline Saidi-Mas, Dorota Solarska, and Christèle Grünig.

Join us for this extraordinary exhibition, proudly presented in collaboration with the Wohin Foundation Spiez, the Swiss Psychiatry Museum Bern, and the Waldau Art Workshop.

An exhibition in cooperation with:
Stiftung Wohin Spiez
Schweizerisches Psychiatrie-Museum Bern
Kunstwerkstatt Waldau

Lenders:
Schweizerisches Psychiatrie-Museum Bern
Kunstwerkstatt Waldau
Teilnehmende des Angebots «Malen im Schloss» der Stiftung Wohin Spiez und der Stiftung Schloss Spiez

fLYER

Impressions

Otto Tschumi - Surreal Worlds

2 July until 16 October 2022

“Indeed I am immersed in all the possibilities of fantasy. I take anything to hand and transform it to imagery.”
Otto Tschumi, 12.9.1956

The Bernese artist Otto Tschumi (1904–1985), one of the most important Swiss Surrealists, created boundless worlds of make-believe through his exuberant fantasy and subtle use of colour.

A painter, draughtsman and printmaker, who repeatedly described himself as self-taught, he developed his characteristic style early on. During his time in Paris from 1936 to 1940, his work was influenced by Cubism. Due to his predilection for the bizarre, he ultimately found decisive inspiration in Surrealism, although never being constrained by it.

The exhibition offers a comprehensive perspective on the multi-layered oeuvre of this unmistakable master of form and colour; it includes works that have never been presented to the public before.

Lenders:
ART-Nachlassstiftung für Kunstschaffende, Bern
Kunstmuseum Bern

fLYER

Impressions

GHOSTS - Video Art by Peter Aerschmann

1th May until 31 October 2021

Video Art presented by Peter Aerschmann in the rooms of the Castle Museum.

PETER AERSCHMANN

Born in Fribourg (Switzerland) in 1969, lives and works in Bern and Zumholz/FR.
1991-1992 University of Art and Design Basel
1992-1994 Studies in Computer Science, University of Basel
1994-1999 Bern University of the Arts, Hochschule der Künste Bern HKB
Initiator and co-founder of the PROGR foundation Bern and Residency.ch

Peter Aerschmann works since 1999 as an artist in the field of video and interactive computer installations.

His work has been exhibited at galleries, festivals, and museums internationally including Musée d’art et d’histoire Fribourg (2020); Mannheimer Kunstverein (2019); Kunstmuseum Appenzell (2018); Palazzo Ducale Genoa (2017); Fabrika CCI Moscow (2016); Kunsthaus Grenchen (2015), Beirut Exhibition Center (2015); Kunsthalle Budapest (2013); Palazzo Grassi Venice (2012); The National Art Museum of China, Beijing (2010); The Musée d'Art Moderne Luxembourg (2009); Moscow House of Photography (2009); Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris (2008) Berlinische Galerie - Landesmuseum für Moderne Kunst, Berlin (2008); Center of Contemporary Art Fri-Art, Fribourg/CH (2007); The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse, Miami (2008); ZKM - Museum of Contemporary Art, Karlsruhe/D (2007); Kunstverein Freiburg/D (2006); Kunstmuseum Bern (2005); The Center for Contemporary Images, Geneva (2002).

Aerschmann's artwork has been acquired by institutions and collections including The François Pinault Foundation, Venice; The Art and History Museum, Fribourg; The Martin Z. Margulies Collection, Miami; Credit Suisse Collection Zürich; Roche Art Collection; Sammlung Migros Aare; Julius Bär Collection; Kunstmuseum Thun; Carola and Günther Ketterer-Ertle Collection; Kunstmuseum Bern and the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris;
Awards include the Swiss Art Award (2002), the Aeschlimann-Corti Award (2006) and studio residencies in Berlin (2000), New York (2005), South Africa (2011), Moscow (2016), Genoa (2017), Budapest (2019) and Shanghai (2020).

Impressions

Dürrenmatt as sketch artist and painter- Works between myth and science

4 July until 25 October 2020

“I paint for the same reason I write: because I think.”
Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Personal Comments on my Drawings and Paintings; 1978

The author Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921–1990) left behind a considerable pictorial oeuvre. The special exhibition at Spiez Castle – in cooperation with the Centre Dürrenmatt Neuchâtel – displays a representative selection of the author’s graphic work and drawings.

As a leitmotif, the tension between myth and science is addressed in several thematic dimensions. The formative influence of his childhood in the countryside, Greek mythology and the Christian faith, his lifelong interest in astronomy and the Theory of Evolution: all these central themes are dealt with in his pictorial works.

Dürrenmatt’s paintings and drawings are set in the context of their historical, scientific, theological and ethical allusions. With this holistic view, the exhibition helps one to grasp the complementary aspects of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s visual and literary creativity.

An exhibition in cooperation with the Centre Dürrenmatt Neuchâtel.

Lenders: Centre Dürrenmatt Neuchâtel, Stiftung Pestalozzianum, Mario Botta, Béatrice Liechti, François Loeb, Iva Schell und weitere private Leihgeberinnen und Leihgeber

Flyer

Impressions

Marc Chagall

29 June until 13 October 2019

“I chose painting because it was as essential for me as food. It seemed to me like a window through which I could have taken flight toward another world.” Marc Chagall, Lecture at the University of Chicago, February 1958

Marc Chagall (1887–1985), one of the great dreamers and romantics of 20th century European art, is the topic of this year’s special exhibition at Spiez Castle. Along with his self-portraits, the works on display reveal the eastern Jewish world of Vitebsk–the Belarusian city where the artist was born, they lead the visitor through the artistic vibrancy of Paris, depicting circus performers, telling tales of the Arabian Nights and the ancient love story of Daphnis and Chloe.

Around fifty selected works are on display from the collection of the art dealer and publisher Dr. Eberhard W. Kornfeld, who cultivated a long lasting friendship with Marc Chagall. They include impressive etchings and woodcuts, as well as colourful lithographs and gouaches, offering a personal insight into the multi-faceted relationship between Marc Chagall and
the owner of the renowned Bernese Kornfeld Gallery.

Lender: Dr. phil. h.c. Eberhard W. Kornfeld

Flyer

Impressions

Marguerite Frey-Surbek & Victor Surbek

30 June until 14 October 2018

“We were two art lovers – that’s all. We both evolved as free spirits and understood how to keep our essential independence!” (Marguerite Frey-Surbek in a 1980 interview)

The exhibition is dedicated to the works of this well-known Bernese couple, each of whom strove to be recognized as an independent artist in their own right. Despite their close cooperation, two very different oeuvres emerged from their 60 year union.

Due to their close ties with Spiez Castle, they donated a large number of their diverse works to the foundation in 1964.

Supplemented by works from private collections, the exhibition demonstrates that Marguerite Frey-Surbek (1886–1981), having studied with Paul Klee and in Paris, focused on the interplay of colour and light, while Victor Surbek (1885–1975), being influenced by Ferdinand Hodler, was one of the best Swiss landscape and mountain painters of his day.

Lenders: Heinrich Rohrer, Berne, Gladys Luginbühl-Surbek, Spiez, Kunstsammlung Hans & Marlis Suter, Steffisburg

Flyer

Impressions

Commercial Art and Dreams of Travel - Anton Reckziegel (1865–1936) back in the Present

30 March until 3 June 2018

Mountains, cable cars, or blue skies: what images do tourism regions use to promote themselves today? And what role can posters play in advertising aimed at tourists? These were the questions addressed by nineteen students at Bern University of the Arts (HKB). Taking posters by commercial artist Anton Reckziegel as their starting point, they each created a new design as part of a course module. The exhibition presents the original works as well as their contemporary equivalents.

Around the turn of the last century, painter and lithographer Anton Reckziegel (1865-1936) shaped the image of Switzerland as a tourist destination. The Swiss Alpine Museum owns over ninety posters, comprising the largest collection of his Swiss works.
An exhibition in cooperation with the Swiss Alpine Museum Berne.

Lender: Swiss Alpine Museum Berne

Impressions

Enchanted Mountains and Haunted Roots - Ernst Kreidolf and the Alps

9 June until 8 October 2017

The exhibition presents over eighty oil paintings, watercolours and drawings by the Swiss painter Ernst Kreidolf (1863 – 1956) from his extensive legacy. The works of this artist, celebrated in German-speaking countries as the founder of the modern picture book, guide us through his most important creative periods.

We see the young and sensitive Alpine painter, the precise botanist, the humorous and poetic creator of Ein Wintermärchen (A Winter's Fairy Tale) and Alpenblumenmärchen (Alpine Flower Fairy Tales) and discover him as a concerned witness of his time. Thus, when Kreidolf moved from Munich to Bern in 1917, he dealt increasingly with the crucial issues of his day. Furthermore, attention is paid to original documents from the Burgerbibliothek Bern. In particular, letters and photographs from Kreidolf's written legacy complement this multifaceted presentation of the artist and his perspective on the Alps.
An exhibition in cooperation with Verein Ernst Kreidolf and Burgerbibliothek Bern.

Lenders: Kunstmuseum Bern / Burgerbibliothek Bern / Gemeinde Köniz

flyer

Impressions

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880 - 1938) - Dresden - Berlin - Davos

3 July until 9 October 2016

This exhibition, put together from the extensive collection of the publisher and art dealer Eberhard W. Kornfeld, presents some fifty graphic works, watercolours and drawings by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880 Aschaffenburg, Germany - 1938 Davos, Switzerland).

The selected works from this exceptional Expressionist reflect his main creative periods, from being the co-founder of the artist group "Die Brücke" in Dresden, via the experiences in vibrant Berlin shortly before the First World War, to the mountains of Graubünden and Davos.

Special attention is placed upon woodcut, which provided Kirchner with a suitable field for experimenting with his expressionist style. His topics, in addition to nudes and portraits, include scenes from the world of variety shows, cityscapes and landscapes.

Lender: Dr. phil. h.c. Eberhard W. Kornfeld

Impressions

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) - Acrobats, women and bullfights

5 July until 27 September 2015

The 2015 summer exhibition at Spiez Castle comprises some 50 prints, providing a cross- section of the main themes to be found in Picasso's work. They go from early gems of the Saltimbanques period via minotaurs and bullfighters to the late erotic works of art that illustrate the unique tension of the motif painter and model.

The exhibition illustrates how Picasso, the 20th century virtuoso, inevitably dealt intensively with diverse printmaking techniques, displaying great mastery and ease. Printmaking accompanied his work throughout his painting and sculptural art. Like no other artist, Picasso switched between different styles. In his graphic work, he created versatile and incomparable forms of expression. These almost exclusively figurative representations were marked by cubism, surrealism or classicism.

Lender: Eberhard W. Kornfeld

flyer

Impressions

Rembrandt - Etchings from the Kornfeld collection

26 June until 13 September 2009

Some forty etchings by Rembrandt, one of the great European masters, displayed in the castle of Spiez: a unique event for this location. The Berne-based publisher, art dealer and collector Eberhard W. Kornfeld proposed this special exhibition in honour and remembrance of Isaac de Bruijn (1872-1953), the renowned Rembrandt collector who lived for a decade in Spiez. The young Kornfeld gained a solid grounding in Rembrandt’s art from this important connoisseur and started to collect etchings. Today, he remains a passionate Rembrandt collector and is an expert of international repute. The collection of de Bruijn went to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, while Kornfeld donated his to the Kunstmuseum of Basel, though retaining exhibition rights, so that thanks to him we are today able to appreciate Rembrandt’s etchings on display in Spiez.

The exhibition contains some famous works such as The Hundred Guilder Print, Doctor Faust, The Three Trees and various self-portraits. However, lesser known works including genre scenes and single figures, landscapes, biblical themes and nudes can also be seen. The art of etching, a variation of engraving, is explained by means of an original Rembrandt copper plate and three prints, each showing alterations he made with a steal needle.

Lender: Dr. phil. h.c. Eberhard W. Kornfeld

Impressions