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Storing contemporary works of art in an accessible manner is not a contradiction in terms, but a celebrated concept.
Busts made of chocolate icing by Dieter Roth that are over 50 years old, night photos by David Claerbout that you have to look at in a darkroom, or a double video installation by Anri Sala with two pianos playing the same Ravel piece and thus creating interference: that Schaulager does not house mainstream art, but works by contemporary artists, some of whom use new and unwieldy forms of expression.
The concept works wonderfully. In fact, it should have been invented much earlier.
Storing and presenting such works of art at the same time instead of packing them in a space-saving depot – with this concept, the Schaulager in Münchenstein near Basel turned the usual museum practice upside down 20 years ago. «The concept works wonderfully. Actually, it should have been invented much earlier,” says curator Isabel Friedli.
Legend:
Angular and closed on the outside, the Schaulager appears huge and bright on the inside.
SRF/Roger Lange
She emphasizes that Schaulager is not a museum, but rather a place where stored works can be experienced in their real dimension, color and materiality, instead of just on photos and videos, and thus better reflect on the ideas behind them. School classes, groups from universities, museum curators willing to lend out or restorers are in the house every day.
Material research for work preservation
The latter is particularly interested in research into modern materials, which plays an important role at Schaulager – for example, chocolate itself is not durable at all, and some plastics also decompose over time. Many would work with plastic today, says Friedli. And anyone who finds an old Barbie doll on the floor, for example, knows the problem with its sticky surface.
Schaulager did not appear out of nowhere 20 years ago.
Schaulager can afford the generous concept thanks to the foundations behind it: The house is supported by the Laurenz Foundation, which the Roche heiress Maja Oeri founded in memory of her first son, who died young. Architects Herzog & de Meuron designed the striking cube. It was opened in 2003.
“The Schaulager did not appear out of nowhere 20 years ago,” explains Maja Oeri, but the collection in it was put together with great care for a long time. The works were brought together by the Emanuel Hoffmann Foundation, which her grandmother Maja Hoffmann-Stehlin founded in 1933 in memory of her late husband. The treasures of the foundation also include works by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Joseph Beuys.
Legend:
Jean-Frédéric Schnyder’s cardboard skylines contrast with the sparse Schaulager space, but fit the motto of the anniversary exhibition “Out of the Box”.
SRF/Roger Lange
For the couple, dealing with contemporary art was central, which also dictated the purpose of the foundation. Maja Oeri took over this foundation in 1995. Not a single work has been resold. “The collection always depicts the time.” Because the collection is constantly growing, an extension is now being planned.
The anniversary show “Out of the box” celebrates the concept of simultaneous storage and exhibition with a large cross-section from the top-class collection. 90 works by 26 artists can be seen, including Peter Fischli, Robert Gober and Tacita Dean. In addition to paintings and drawings, videos and installations can be seen; some are exhibited for the first time. The show runs until November 19th.