The exhibition «Anecdotes of Destiny» | Kunstmuseum Bern
Anecdotes of Destiny
28.07.2023 - 07.01.2024
The Kunstmuseum Bern's collection is an inexhaustible source of stories. Between 28 July 2023 and 7 January 2024 the exhibition Anecdotes of Destiny presents works from the collection which have barely been seen by the wider public up to now. Texts by well-known German-language authors extend the narrative aspect of the 2023 summer exhibition.
The exhibition Anecdotes of Destiny is constructed like a collection of stories.
It focuses among other things on interactions with the muse, representations of hybrids, (self-) portraits, still lifes and the boundary between art and life. For each area, an author writes a text. Eva Maria Leuenberger, Melinda Nadj Abonji, Dorothee Elmiger, Frederic Zwicker and Friederike Kretzen are the prestigious writers involved.
Meret Oppenheim (1913 − 1985). The Suffering of Geneviève, 1939
Oil on canvas. 49,4 x 71,5 cm. Kunstmuseum Bern. Legacy Meret Oppenheim
The exhibition shows forgotten, ignored or neglected voices alongside well- known "key works" from the collection, and clearly shows that both art history and the Museum collection are filled with unknown narratives. Visitors are invited to rediscover the collection and see it as a dynamic structure which, on closer examination, keeps disclosing new meanings. The exhibition features works by Annie Stebler-Hopf, Marie-Louise-Catherine Breslau, Ferdinand Hodler, Max Buri, Albert Anker, Irene Zurkinden, Meret Oppenheim, Alice Bailly, Adolf Wolfli and many others.
Annie Stebler-Hopf (1861 − 1918). Abendbeleuchtung eines kleinen Sees am Matterhorn
Oil on canvas. 62,3 x 81,8 cm
Kunstmuseum Bern. Donation of Sylvia Y. Stebler
The title is taken from Karen Blixen's short story collection Anecdotes of Destiny (1958). Almost all of her characters manage to overcome their crises by telling stories and develop into strong, proud human beings.
Opening
The opening of the exhibition will take place on Thursday, 27 July 2023, from 6.30 pm. Admission to the exhibition is free on this evening.
Curator
Marta Dziewanska
Assistant Curator
Livia Wermuth
With the support of
Kanton Bern, Pierre Kottelat, Susann Hausler-Stiftung, GVB Kulturstiftung