To the Sun! To Freedom!

Description

The Summer Exhibition 2026 at Reinhart am Stadtgarten is dedicated to a birth of modern art: the beginning of outdoor oil painting in the early 19th century. Under the title To the Sun! To Freedom! the presentation will explore various traces of painting in the open air. The aim is to showcase the golden age of study in Italy and, for the first time ever, also recount the specifically Swiss path of the genre. Masterpieces by all significant artists of the field will be displayed, including the founder Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes and Simon Denis, from early German representatives like Martin von Rohden and Johann Georg von Dillis to master sheets by Heinrich Reinhold, Ernst Fries, and Achille Etna Michallon. The grand finale features the enchanting works of Carl Blechen and Camille Corot, creating a magnificent arc from the sun of the south to the freedom of art. Parallel to this, the route from Switzerland will be traced, where – as little known – this practice has also been pursued since the late 18th century, including by the pioneer of Alpine painting Caspar Wolf. The subtle art of oil study was one of Oskar Reinhart's greatest collecting passions. Today, the foundation owns numerous excellent landscape studies in oil on paper, vividly illustrating both the path of the Swiss painting freedom movement and the royal road of the genre in Italy. Additionally, the exhibition is enriched with numerous studies from museum and private collections from France, Germany, and Switzerland. Focusing on the highest quality and a new perspective on Switzerland, the exhibition differs significantly from the successful oil study exhibitions of recent years in Paris, Cambridge, and Washington. It will also surprise the art world with over thirty previously unpublished works. The exhibition is curated jointly by David Schmidhauser and Florian Illies, bestselling author and expert on German and French painting of the early 19th century. Curated by David Schmidhauser and Florian Illies.

Highlights

• Summer Exhibition 2026 at Reinhart am Stadtgarten
• Masterpieces by artists such as Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes and Camille Corot
• Focus on outdoor painting in Switzerland and Italy

General Information

The exhibition "To the Sun! To Freedom!" is dedicated to outdoor painting around 1800 and showcases significant works by various artists. It highlights the development of oil painting in nature and the specific Swiss contributions to this genre.

Location

Stadthausstrasse 6, 8400 Winterthur, Switzerland

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