“The exhibition focuses on various - also contradictory - perspectives on the historical context in which the arms manufacturer and patron Emil G. Bührle built up his collection: it highlights the biographies of former owners of individual works, whose sale took place under questionable circumstances, and the question of how a differentiated approach to history can succeed in the immediate present.

What will you learn in this exhibition?

The Emil Bührle Collection contains many unique works of great art-historical value. At the same time, it is extremely controversial owing to the way in which it was acquired. This conflict needs to be acknowledged. The Kunsthaus Zürich believes that this collection should be displayed: The works themselves are in no way implicated in the unimaginable crimes committed by the National Socialists. They do, however, bear witness to them. They can encourage us to commemorate the victims of Nazi terror, remember their fates, and reassess Switzerland’s role in the Second World War.

The exhibition is a first step in an extended process. It raises questions, but can only begin to provide answers. It outlines the historical context in which the Emil Bührle Collection was assembled and reveals the close ties between the Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft and Emil Bührle. It shows the current status of provenance research into the history of some works that were owned by Jewish collectors who fell victim to Nazi persecution. The Kunsthaus wants to talk about these issues.”- Kunsthaus Zürich