With its internationally renowned collections containing important objects from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, Museum Rietberg is one of the largest art museums in Switzerland. Complementing the collection presentation at Villa Wesendonck, the exhibition at Park-Villa Rieter showcases significant works from the collection of Indian painting as well as from the photography collection. From January 2026, it is dedicated to the significance of colour in the arts.
Symbolism and Aesthetics of Colour in Indian Painting
As everywhere in the world, colours in India carry symbolic meaning. This is particularly evident in religious and poetic paintings. Yet, the use of colour in painting can also serve a purely aesthetic function. In series of paintings, colour choice often follows abstract principles. In addition, the type and number of colours provide important clues about a work’s origin and date. The exhibition also presents draft drawings and contemporary works that offer insights into the creative process behind these paintings.
Viewpoints
The presentation Viewpoints highlights the scientific study of Indian painting. Analyses of pigments and techniques on a single folio from the Kota Narayana Ragamala series offer new insights into workshop practices and production. The examination of the Bangala Ragaputra folio reveals overlapping underdrawings and layers of pigments. The display also explores the Ragamala tradition, which translates the moods of raga music into poetic and visual forms.
Everything is Illuminated: Photography and Colour
The works in Museum Rietberg’s photographic collection were created between 1880 and 1980. Everything is Illuminated explores the significance of colour through hand-coloured photographs as well as colour film images. Various examples show how colour affected viewers and sparked imagination but also reveal exclusionary aspects of early colour film technologies. By deliberately combining photographs from different periods and regions, the presentation allows for surprising comparisons and centres Africa and Asia as key fields in a global history of photography.
For more information please head to the Museum Rietberg website.
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