essay – Raussmüller Insights

“As Much Phantasy as Possible”

by Christel Sauer

The present is the true stage on which his manifold references to existential relationships take shape. “Art is familiar with the commonplace and knows its value as an immense store of material…” Christel Sauer about an extraordinary work by Mario Merz

“Nostalgic Yearnings and Futurist Acts of Daring”

by Christel Sauer

Unlike other works by Mario Merz, this igloo has none of the air of a dwelling, but seems instead to be concealing a hidden situation behind a protective shield. A key to entry can be found in the title of the work: Virgilius, memoria futurista. [more]

An Igloo as Image of the World

by Christel Sauer

Focus on: ‘I gradini mangiano la scala o la scala mangia i gradini’ by Mario Merz

Christel Sauers’ approach to title and history of this igloo as well as the work as a specific image of the world. [more]

Geological ages, magically preserved

by Jürgen Buchinger

Focus on: ‘I gradini mangiano la scala o la scala mangia i gradini’ by Mario Merz

Jürgen Buchinger lets his thoughts wander back in time to think about the process of creation and transformation of prehistoric ages that is still present in this thought provoking work. [more]

Architettura fondata dal tempo – architettura sfondata dal tempo, 1977

by Christel Sauer

Mario Merz’s architectural structure made of glass, stone, metal, a wine bottle, a spotlight and a fluorescent tube combines the basic aspects of life: space, light and time. After it was given a permanent place for 30 years in the Hallen für Neue Kunst, where it was installed by the artist in 1984, an additional aspect was added to the work: the dimension of time. [more]

Extending Perception: Robert Mangold

by Urs Raussmüller

Urs Raussmüller has consistently used his installations of artworks as an opportunity to communicate his view of the specific situation in question and to share his feelings, experiences and thoughts with others. The following statements are excerpts from a conversation inside the exhibition Robert Mangold: Extending Perception. [more]

Space and Time for New Art

The Hallen für Neue Kunst
von Christel Sauer

The Hallen für Neue Kunst – the name, which means “Halls for New Art”, speaks for itself – was born out of a firm belief in an art that is direct and not fictive. The understanding of the works as facts was the premise underpinning the design of the institution. Everything was to be able to be what it is: the art, the space, the light, and not least the visitors. [more]

Presence and Memory: Thoughts on Kounellis’s Work

by Urs and Christel Raussmüller

To think of Jannis Kounellis is to think of the vital energy of his activity, which – like a tireless flywheel – drove the artist and his work forward. Now that the wheel is no longer turning, the question of his oeuvre poses itself anew. In memory of Kounellis, we have recorded the following thoughts on his work. [more]

Sol LeWitt and the Hallen für Neue Kunst, Schaffhausen

by Christel Sauer and Urs Raussmüller

The initiators of LeWitt’s complex and long-term installation in the Hallen für Neue Kunst, Schaffhausen, share their experience of the artist’s wall drawings and sculptures over time. From a personal point of view, they describe the impact of the works and the significance of the artist. Their account, a tribute by committed participants, appears here in the original English version. [more]

The Museum as Concept and Philosophy

Statement by Urs Raussmüller

When you build a factory, be it a spaghetti factory or a car plant, the first, most important consideration is the philosophy of the company. It is no different with a museum. The philosophy of the institution, its basic understanding of itself, must stand in first place, in other words: how does the museum perceive its function? [more]

InK. Halle für internationale neue Kunst

by Christel Sauer

In 1978, Urs Raussmüller opened “InK. Halle für internationale neue Kunst” in Zurich, realizing a groundbreaking art support concept: artists were invited to create or present new works and were given space, assistance and a remuneration. The gallery was simultaneously a studio and a meeting point, the site of exhibitions and artistic actions. A lively, creative atmosphere prevailed; the artists were inspired and the viewers curious. [more]

Jannis Kounellis, Senza titolo, 1967 (Campi, Pappagallo, Cotoniera)

by Christel Sauer

As a complex spatial unity, they became one of the most frequently reproduced Kounellis works. In particular the parrot in front of the steel sheet, as a new definition of the picture, became a symbol of a contemporary art rigorously expanded both in content and form – with a specific reference to its imaginative development in Italy… [more]

“Being an artist has to do with a way of life” – Four steps towards Bruce Nauman

by Christel Sauer

Nauman’s non-conformist works are possessed of an almost unsurpassable degree of intensity that leaves no possibility of escape. Indifference is not an option. And this situation, however unwelcome it may be, exerts its own fascination… [more]

Bruce Nauman
Floating Room: Lit from Inside, 1972

by Christel Sauer

From the outside, Nauman’s Floating Room looks like a large cube hanging down into the building from above – unpretentiously constructed and with no aesthetic aspirations. The surrounding area is relatively dark, or at all events not illuminated in the way we are otherwise used to in art spaces… [more]

Bruce Nauman
Flour Arrangements, 1966

by Christel Sauer

The seven photos on the wall show static situations of a similar appearance, slightly out of focus, with a greenish hue and at first sight enigmatic motifs, whose physical properties and dimensions are almost impossible to divine. We wonder what we are looking at: aerial shots of formations in the ocean? Police photos of confiscated cocaine? [more]

Bruce Nauman
The True Artist Is an Amazing Luminous Fountain (Window or Wall Shade), 1966

by Christel Sauer

In 1966 Nauman made a standard roller blind the support for a statement about the nature of the artist. The work’s appearance is almost dignified and presents a bizarre contrast to the pink plastic blind – just as does the cryptic message of the text… [more]

Artworks that make a difference

Between 2010 and 2014 the Raussmüller Collection published highlights of the collection under title Artworks that make a difference in their trimester programme for the Hallen für Neue Kunst, Schaffhausen. A large-format illustration of each work was followed by a short text – an introduction to the work as well as food for thought… [more]