A Future for the Past : The Buhrle Collection: Art, Context, War and Conflict - Kunsthaus Zurich

Since 2021, the B�hrle Collection has been on display at Kunsthaus Z�rich, in the galleries of the museum's new extension building designed by David Chipperfield. The high-profile collection is widely perceived as problematic. This is due to the personality of the collector, Emil Georg B�hrle (1890-1956), who made his fortune as a weapons manufacturer and did extensive business with Nazi Germany, and the fact that the provenance of some of the artworks is controversial. The initial presentation at Kunsthaus Z�rich sparked a heated debate. The second display, opened in 2023, provided more historical context and a broader insight into provenance research. It also included a range of public voices and gave a face to some of the Jewish former owners of artworks, many of whom were forced to sell. A Future for the Past documents in words and images the B�hrle Collection's history. At the core are the two recent exhibitions at Kunsthaus Z�rich, in regard to culture policy arguably the most significant and most debated art shows in Switzerland in decades.