“In Black and White or in Colours?” at Musée Ariana, Geneva
June 30 – September 27, 2020
When preparing its new show “In Black and White or in Colours?” on display from 30 June to 27 September, the Musée Ariana first asked the public to select eight pieces to form the backbone of the presentation. On the basis of these, exhibition organiser and head curator Anne-Claire Schumacher has devised a coherent ensemble, with colour as the central theme.
Black, white, red… colour is inseparable from the history of ceramics. Given the vast palette of colours available, the curator had to make choices. She decided to focus on primary and bold colours: the immaculate whiteness of porcelain, the deep black of manganese clay and the purple of Cassius, as well as copper which gives both red and turquoise.
Over and above the evident aesthetic value of the works on show and the poetry emanating from them, the exhibition design expresses all the ambivalence of this singular year – a sort of allegory – through the transition from black and white to colour, appealing to the freedom of choice we have as to the future of our society.
Wouter Dam (The Netherlands, 1957) Red Sculpture, 2009. Photo by Nicole Loeffel 
Grazia Conti Rossini (Switzerland, 1956) Gefäss, 2014.
François Ruegg (Switzerland, 1954) Can’t Think, 2016. Photo by Musée Ariana 
Zsuzsa Füzesi Heierli (Switzerland, 1953) Double 4, 2015. Photo by Musée Ariana 
Arnold Annen (Switzerland, 1952) Bol, 1991. Photo by Musée Ariana 
Akio Takamori (Japan, USA, 1950‐2017) Sleeping Woman in Red Dress, 2012. Photo by Nicolas Lieber 
Regula Brenner‐Nünlist (Switzerland, 1954‐2009), Coupe Oiseau picorant, 1999. Photo by Angelo Lui 
Tomoko Nishimura (Japon, 1963) Melody in Spring, 1995. Photo by Angelo Lui
It’s worth noting that the Musée Ariana’s collection of contemporary ceramics comprises around 4,000 pieces held in storage. This exhibition gives visitors the opportunity to see these works in a new light, some of which have never before been on display.
This show is a last-minute replacement for “Pièces à problèmes. Richard Slee and Robert Dawson, Twenty-Twenty”, postponed until 2021, due to the impossibility for exhibits and artists alike to travel.
Contact
ariana@ville-ge.ch
+41 22 418 54 50
Musée Ariana, Ville de Genève
Musée suisse de la céramique et du verre
10 Avenue de la Paix
CH – 1202 Genève
Switzerland
