Miriam Cahn plans to pull works from Zurich Art Museum over Bührle Collection
Miriam Cahn's comments come after a media conference by the museum and the Bührle Foundation last week to respond to some of the criticism about the decision to display the controversial collection.
Keystone / Christian Charisius
Internationally renowned Swiss artist Miriam Cahn says she wants to remove all her works on display at the Zurich Art Museum in response to the outcry over the Bührle collection. Paintings in the collection are suspected of being linked to art looted by the Nazis.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/jdp
Español
es
Cahn planea retirar su obra del Museo de Zúrich por la Colección Bührle
“I no longer want to be represented in ‘this’ art museum in Zurich,” Cahn said in a letter to the Jewish weekly TachlesExternal link, published on Wednesday and obtained by media agency Keystone-SDA. “I wish to remove all my works from the Zurich Art Museum. I will buy them back at the original sale price,” said the 72-year-old artist, who is Jewish.
She called out the museum for its “historical blindness” and criticised the “opaque mixing” between the museum, the city and various other parties that she argues led to the “stupid loan contract” of the Bührle Collection.
More
The fight for gender equality in Swiss art institutions
Art museums are still mostly occupied by works made by men. Awareness has only recently been raised in Switzerland, stirring the cultural scene.
The inclusion of around 200 works from the Bührle Collection into the new extension of the museum, which opened this autumn, has sparked controversy over its origins. Wealthy industrialist Emil Georg Bührle, who died in 1956, earned much of his wealth through the sale of arms to Germany during and after the Second World War. His fortune allowed him to build up an art collection which he bequeathed to the foundation.
The Bührle Foundation says none of the works on display were looted from Jews but the museum’s decision to display works from the foundation is still seen as an affront to victims of the Holocaust. Following calls from local public officials, the museum has said it will set up an independent commission to investigate the provenance of the works.
Born in Basel, Cahn’s paintings can be found in numerous museums including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Tate Museum in London.
More
More
Bührle Foundation director to step down
This content was published on
Lukas Gloor, the director of the Bührle Foundation – from which the controversial Bührle art collection comes – will step down at the end of the year.
What can be done to protect biodiversity in your country?
Swiss voters are set to decide on a people’s initiative calling for better protection of ecosystems in the country. Have your say on the September 22 vote.
One dead, 2 children seriously injured after car crashes into Geneva sports centre
This content was published on
An 80-year-old driver crashed into several children aged around ten on Saturday after losing control of her vehicle in Geneva, before succumbing to her injuries.
Swiss Centre Party leader says report on proposed federal budget cuts ‘one-sided’
This content was published on
Gerhard Pfister is criticising discussions launched by the Swiss government on an expert report aimed at making savings in the state budget.
This content was published on
Transplantation not only improves quality of life, but it also saves money, said Swisstransplant, particularly where kidney transplants are concerned.
Train station closures a long-term option, says Swiss Federal Railways boss
This content was published on
Vincent Ducrot has not ruled out the closure of train stations in the long term as mobility changes, he told the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper.
Liberal Green party members criticise handling of Ameti affair
This content was published on
Some Liberal Greens say the party acted too quickly after Zurich politician Sanija Ameti fired shots at an image of Jesus and Mary.
This content was published on
Switzerland has a new supercomputer named "Alps", officially inaugurated on Saturday at the National Supercomputing Centre in Lugano.
Cold front leads to record-low temperatures in Switzerland
This content was published on
Friday's cold front caused record temperatures and closed mountain passes. The snow line was between 1,200 and 1,500m on Saturday, MeteoSwiss reported.
Collecting of vote signatures to continue in Switzerland as planned
This content was published on
The Swiss government is refraining from taking drastic emergency measures following the revelation of suspected cases of fraud.
Nazi-looted art: Is the Kunsthaus Zurich a ‘tainted museum’?
This content was published on
The new extension of Zurich’s fine art museum opens this weekend with the Bührle collection. A controversial choice for some.
This content was published on
Housing the art collection of arms dealer Emil Bührle in the Zurich Kunsthaus will do little to quell decades-old controversies.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.