These, Antithese, Synthese reconstructed (Bilingual edition)

(Paperback)

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The publication will explore the history and impact of the iconic exhibition "these, antithese, synthese" featuring essays and a facsimile of the original 1935 catalogue.

These, Antithese, Synthese - reconstructed presents, for the first time since the legendary exhibition of 1935, all the works that were shown in the Kunstmuseum Luzern against the backdrop of an increasingly totalitarian Europe. The fantastic project aimed to define a new, abstract, non-elitist art that was for everyone.

In 1935, most of the works came directly from the artists' studios; today, they hang in highly regarded collections across the world. Some were destroyed, others are missing. What were the conditions that led to that exhibition Who selected the artists Why were female artists not among them And what has remained of modernism's promises for a better life

This publication brings together historical images, reviews of the time, and the provenance of the artworks. It also analyses the historical context of the Kunstmuseum Luzern. The facsimile of the exhibition catalogue designed by Jan Tschichold conveys the visionary graphic design of 1935: Tschichold established new means of expression that continue to inspire today.

Author Bio

Fanni Fetzer has served as the director of the Kunstmuseum Luzern since 2011, after having previously held positions at the cultural magazine Du, at Kunstmuseum Thun, and at Kunsthaus Langenthal.

Stanislaus von Moos is an art historian and professor emeritus of Modern Art at the University of Zrich. He published on Le Corbusier, Venturi, Scott Brown & Ass. and in 2023 the Swiss Federal Office of Culture awarded him the Grand Prix Meret Oppenheim.

Beni Muhl, Swiss art historian, is currently researching models of subject and appropriation in late modernism with a focus on the painterly work of women artists of the counterculture.

Bettina Steinbrgge is director of Mudam Luxembourg - Muse d'Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean.