Remixed 2012

In what was once the collector’s private residence, pride of place goes to showing works from his own collection and the background to them. Oskar Reinhart left to posterity not only a marvelous collection, but also a platform for presenting it that afforded much creative scope and encouraged reconfigurations of the exhibits. The affinities across time that thus arise enable us to experience the individual works in new ways and encourage many a new interpretation as well.

At regular intervals, the museum exploits this potential to highlight for viewers the inexhaustible diversity of its rich collection. Thus, since April 13 visitors have been able to enjoy a new compilation of works from the collection on display specifically in the halls of the Painting Gallery.

Oskar Reinhart prioritized formal aspects of the artwork over its historical context. He arranged the works in his private home not by school or epoch, but by the harmony of colors and shapes. It seemed obvious when presenting his glorious heritage to the general public to breathe new life into this aesthetic approach. We do not know all the details of Reinhart’s own presentations and any attempt to reconstruct them would therefore invariably mix the collector’s ideas with those of today’s “interpreters”. For this reason, the new constellation follows the collector’s main principle, but consciously combines it with an art-historical outlook.

The results are faithful to one of the main principles underlying Oskar Reinhart’s hangings: The Old Masters are always placed directly next to modern French artists, to the Impressionists and their precursors – who form the main emphasis of the collection.

The new presentation of the Oskar Reinhart Collection is designed to focus in each instance on one key group of works, in this case the ensemble of paintings by Eugène Delacroix. In the new constellation, visitors encounter individual pieces that have not been on display for some time – and can also re-experience works with which they are familiar in unusual juxtapositions.