Naturellement abstrait
Swiss contemporary art in the collection Julius Baer
The Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève is proud to present the exhibition Naturellement abstrait.
Since its inception thirty years ago, the Centre has been dedicated to exhibiting emerging art, and to making it accessible to the public. The exhibitionNaturellement abstrait, based on a thematic selection of works from the Julius Baer collection, offers a larger view on contemporary art in Switzerland by presenting contemporary works with more historic ones.
The opposition inherited from Modernism between abstraction and figuration has found numerous echoes in contemporary art. Certain artistic movements have sustained this polarisation, while others tried to go beyond it by inventing different forms of crossings. The dynamics resulting from this tension, particularly at work within the medium of painting, can be very well observed in Swiss art, be it “Concrete Art”, “Neo-Geo” or “Bad Painting”, amongst others. Through the more than 80 works exhibited,Naturellement abstrait proposes to look at a question that has during the last century been challenging the perception codes required from the public by the work of art. On entering the exhibition, visitors are invited to choose the direction of their visit. They can start either with abstract art with a geometric accent, or with figurative art focusing on landscapes. Both paths then cross together in the middle of the show for an explosive encounter. This double visit gives the occasion to (re)discover works of artists such as Olaf Breuning, Andreas Dobler, Helmut Federle, Peter Fischli / David Weiss, Sylvie Fleury, Renée Lévy, Richard Paul Lohse, Urs Lüthi, MIT, Claudio Moser, Pipilotti Rist, Ugo Rondinone, Adrian Schiess, Jean-Frédéric Schnyder and Roman Signer.
The works presented in this exhibition are all part of the Julius Baer collection, which has a long tradition of supporting young Swiss artists. This collection offers an exemplary panorama of recent visual arts, and enables to give a context to today’s artistic practice. FurthermoreNaturellement abstrait also presents the new acquisitions made this year by the bank Julius Baer, focusing on works by young artists from the French-speaking part of Switzerland.
Naturellement abstrait takes place in the context of the numerous collaborations between the Centre and other figures in the art field. At a time in which the private domain in art is particularly strong, the question of the role that it can assume is then more important than ever. The objective is both to make public an activity (collecting), as well as the works of art that participate in the construction of a memory of contemporary art. The visibility of these works – too often reserved to a restrained public – is crucial. The Centre is also preparing a thematic exhibition for 2006 based on the collection of the Fonds d’art contemporain of Geneva.
In parallel to the exhibition and until the 9th October, the second floor will offer visitors an opportunity to relax within an environment reminiscent of old fashioned sculpture gardens. Sculptures by Auguste Rodin, Germaine Richier and Marino Marini, evidence the long tradition of collecting by the Baer family. The works of this “jardin de sculpture” have been donated by the family to the Kunsthaus Zurich, which is now generously lending it for this occasion.
