Loewensberg | Oppenheim | Taeuber-Arp

Nach Voranmeldung | Appointment only

01.12.2020 – 27.02.2021

During OVR: Miami Beach Surveys, the latest iteration of Art Basel‘s Online Viewing Rooms, Galerie Knoell presents a selection of works by important Swiss artists Sophie Taeuber-Arp (1889–1943), Verena Loewensberg (1912–1986) and Meret Oppenheim (1913–1985). The works are on show at our gallery in Basel through January 30th, 2021.

The three women each developed their very own, unique artistic voice and style. They individually contributed to Switzerland and Europe’s artistic landscape well beyond their time, during which they were often undervalued or misunderstood.

In 1935 Verena Loewensberg arrived in Paris to study at the Académie Moderne. Instead of visiting classes of Auguste Herbin, she quickly got in touch with Theo van Doesburg and Georges Vantongerloo – developing a close friendship and artistic exchange with the latter that lasted throughout her career. Being disappointed by the academy, Loewensberg finally appropriated oil painting herself with the help of a booklet.

One year later, in 1936, Meret Oppenheim, living as a self-taught artist in Paris as well, participated in the celebrated International Surrealist Exhibition in New York, organized by André Breton. Her legendary fur-covered cup Le déjeuner en fourrure was bought by Alfred H. Barr Jr. for the MoMA, manifesting growing interest in the artist. But despite this early success, Oppenheim kept following her instincts without compromise and continuously developed her own artistic language, returning to Switzerland in 1937.

While Loewensberg and Taeuber-Arp were certainly in close contact, it is still unclear how deep their exchange with the surrealist movement and especially with Meret Oppenheim actually was. What certainly connects all three of them is the fact that whilst working and living in Switzerland, each had their difficulties getting the public attention they deserved, often being overshadowed by artist-colleagues like Jean Arp, Georges Vantongerloo, Max Ernst or Man Ray.

In the upcoming years there will be several exhibitions allowing us to discover these artists in a whole new light with major retrospectives taking place in 2021/22 in the US and in Europe.