Swiss Institute for Art Research

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Research directions

Swiss Museums

The successful book series presenting the multifaceted, rich museum landscape of our country in words and images was started in 1991 at the initiative of BNP Paribas, the oldest foreign bank in Switzerland. The directors and conservators of the various museums are to thank for the text and selections of images: The books, generously illustrated with around 180 colour images, offer commentaries on the most beautiful and important museum pieces, in addition to an overview of the history of the collections. Vol. 21: Museum of Art and History, Geneva

SIKART Dictionary and Database - www.sikart.ch

The end of 2007 coincides with the completion of the initial phase of the SIKART Dictionary and Database (www.sikart.ch). All of the goals set for the four-year period have been achieved: Compared with the Biographical Lexicon of Swiss Art, published in 1998, SIKART features an increase of 2,800 artists, 8,200 illustrations, and 250 articles. By the end of 2007 approximately 61,000 literature listings, 27,000 entries on exhibitions, and 7,800 on awards had been added to the database
With SIKART, the Institute has set high standards for quality on the internet. The substantial number of about 700 visitors daily reveals that it has already become an indispensable tool. The feedback from specialists, from representatives of the Canton, the press, and all the other users is extremely positive
In 2007 the focus was placed on acquiring and digitalizing illustrations of works by contemporary artists and clarifying copyrights. Also new entries for the dictionary and the content of the database had to be edited. In the next phase of the project (2008-2011) we intend to achieve four goals: continuation of the artists' database, expansion of material on art trade activities, opening of the platform to the public, and generation of income so that SIKART will be able to operate without government subsidies from 2012 onward

Ferdinand Hodler: The Paintings, Catalogue Raisonné

With most of the work commentaries completed in the previous year, this past year's focus was on reviewing and editing the texts. Some weak points and errors were eliminated and suggestions considered, thanks to the meticulous review by Professor Oskar Bätschmann and to each author reviewing the other's work. The following editing of the texts resulted in further improvements, particularly with respect to grammatical consistency and stylistic congruity. At the same time research on the scholarly apparatus for the individual works continued: New exhibition catalogues and literature were added, and provenances completed. Again, several previously unknown works or those available only as poor illustrations were added to the inventory, among them a version of the Dents du Midi dated 1916, which has been auctioned at Sotheby's in Zurich.

Ferdinand Hodler. The Landscapes

The first volume of the Hodler catalogue raisonné series treats the landscapes and will be published in 2008

Centre and Periphery: Swiss Artists at the School of Fine Arts in Paris, 1793-1863

Since Switzerland had no real academy of art, many Swiss artists, especially in the nineteenth century, chose to go to Paris for their training. Which of them did, in fact, go there? What did they do during their sojourn?
Following the preparation of an extensive database with documents on more than 300 artists, their presence in the French capital has been systematically analysed. The focus of the study is on their reasons for leaving Switzerland, the conditions of their sojourn in Paris, their artistic training, their participation in the salons, and the beginning of their professional life
The project is jointly managed by Antenne romande and the University of Neuchâtel It had initially been planned for two years, but has been extended by two periods, with support from the Swiss National Science Foundation. In the year under review, research on the more than 300 artists listed in the database was completed. The historical-analytical introductory text is now being edited, and the book should be published by the end of 2008

Cuno Amiet (1868-1961): His Early Paintings, Catalogue Raisonné

Of the most important and best-known Swiss artists of classical modern art - Ferdinand Hodler, Cuno Amiet, Giovanni Giacometti and Félix Vallotton - only the works of Cuno Amiet have not yet been studied thoroughly and systematically and published in a catalogue raisonné . Based on the initial research by Prof. George Mauner, who died in 2004, the SIAR is continuing this project. The catalogue, which will include about 8oo works, will document his early painted works, with the exception of the watercolours and drawings

Art Technological Research Project on Cuno Amiet

The painted works of Cuno Amiet are distinguished not only by stylistic diversity but also by great technical variety. Particularly his early works are characterized by experiments in the creation of paints and techniques for their application. Especially with many of his early paintings his technical curiosity and eagerness to experiment have resulted in some unusual cases of deterioration, which are interesting for conservation research. For that reason this art technological research project offers several interesting approaches
In an initial phase, which is dedicated to the acquisition of the basic technical data, some selected Amiet paintings will be thoroughly examined and documented. For the first time the focus in the scientific analyses will be on the binders. The progress of the critical catalogue raisonné on Amiet's early works at the SIAR, a parallel project, provides an excellent opportunity for the exchange of information between art technology and art history. The publication of the most important results of this technological research in the new "KUNSTmaterial" series is planned

Nouvelle série de publications: KUNSTmaterial

Après le lancement en 2004 de la série «outlines», qui aborde l'histoire de l'art du point de vue de l'actualité, nous avons conçu la nouvelle série «KUNSTmaterial», à partir des études technologiques approfondies faites sur l'oeuvre de Ferdinand Hodler. Elle doit rendre accessibles par le verbe et par l'image les résultats des programmes de recherche généraux et d'analyses particulières intéressantes menés par la section Technologie de l'art dans divers secteurs

ActiveArchives

At the end of 2007, the initial four-year phase of the "ActiveArchives" project, which began in 2004, was to come to an end. But some time ago it had been agreed with the Bundesamt für Kultur (BAK) to continue work until the end of the above-mentioned exhibition. Following two-stage proceedings in November, the BAK decided to continue providing financial support for this research project. For 2008 the "ActiveArchives" project will receive an interim amount, and from 2009 for another three years the same fixed amount it has been given until now. This positive decision was based mainly on the SIAR's intention to expand the competence of the Art Technology department and to organize a publication project in art research on the subject "Registration Standards for Monographs on Electronic Art"

ActiveArchives. Compendium of Interference on Analogue Videotapes

A part of the "ActiveArchives" project is the conception and preparation of a publication (book and DVD) on the most frequent disturbances on analogous videotapes, which are caused by damage on the tapes or reproduction devices, or by improper playback of the tapes. This two-language manual will be published as the second volume of the Institute's "KUNSTmaterial" series
By and large the manuscripts for this manual have been finished. But, due to very tight scheduling, the publication had to be postponed until 2008

Catalogue raisonné James Pradier (1790-1852)

Born in Geneva but settled in Paris since 1808, the sculptor James Pradier won the Prix de Rome in 1813 and stayed at the Villa Medici until 1818. Following his return to Paris, he was commissioned to create the artistic decoration of numerous public buildings in the capital and in the provinces
The author of this project, Claude Lapaire, whose catalogue raisonné of Auguste de Niederhäusern-Rodo was published by the SIAR in 2001, has recorded approximately 500 works in public and private possession. Apart from the monographic assessment of the works, Lapaire has also researched the specific conditions of a sculptor's career under changing political circumstances, how a circle of Swiss artists functioned in Paris, and the establishment of a new market for the serial production of bronze statuettes
The scholarly review of the text has nearly been finished. The catalogue will be published in 2008

Niklaus Manuel (c. 1484-1530): Catalogue Raisonné

In the German-speaking region of Switzerland Niklaus Manuel is considered to be one of the outstanding artist personalities of the early sixteenth century. From the 1520s he dedicated himself increasingly to poetry and politics. As a member of the Bernese government he supported the council's decisions on the Reformation. In spite of his brief artistic activity, Manuel, the painter and draughtsman left behind a substantial number of works. The catalogue raisonné on Niklaus Manuel is being prepared by Hans Christoph von Tavel, author of numerous publications on his life and work, in collaboration with Michael Egli. His complete painted and drawn works - drawings, elevations and sections, wood cuts, panel and textile paintings, as well as murals - will be researched for the catalogue. The second part of the publication will include a detailed biography and a scholarly analysis of, among other things, his artistic self-esteem and his iconoclasm before and during the Reformation

Verena Loewensberg (1912-1986). Monograph and Index of Works

Thanks to a private initiative, the planning phase for a book on the life and works of Verena Loewensberg could be started. The main author will be Elisabeth Grossmann, who has been the conservator at the Haus Konstruktiv in Zurich for many years and is a proven expert on the works of Verena Loewensberg in particular, and of constructive-concrete art in general. In a richly illustrated main text, she will examine the artistic development of this important representative of the Zurich concrete artists, and she will also evaluate the works with respect to their quality and their influence on other artists An index of all the painted works, prepared by Renate Holliger, will form the second part of the book and offer the most comprehensive survey possible. All of the illustrations in this publication will be printed in colour

Félix Vallotton. Art Critic

Félix Vallotton (1865-1925) wrote his first art criticism in 1891, an important turning point in his artistic activity. By 1921 he had reviewed 23 exhibitions in Paris, written ten monographic articles on old and new masters, two essays on art, and five responses to opinion polls. Vallotton generally addressed the public in the French-speaking region of Switzerland. His manner of expressing himself became increasingly free. In an ironical, sometimes sarcastic, tone, he expressed his aesthetic preferences
This project has been planned in cooperation with the Félix Vallotton Foundation in Lausanne, and it will include the complete, critical, commented and illustrated edition of these hardly accessible texts. In two introductory essays by Rudolf Koella and Katia Poletti, Vallotton's position among journalists of his time and his view on predecessors and contemporary artists will be analysed

Competences

Appraisals of swiss artworks

Scientific analysis of artworks

Inventories in art collections