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Marking this year's anniversary, the Aargauer Kunsthaus presents the special exhibition "tempi passati" which takes the history of the Aargauischer Kunstverein and the Aargauer Kunsthaus as its starting point, yet looks far beyond the local history to include the cultural and social context in which art museums have to hold their own.

In their 2010 anniversary year the Aargauischer Kunstverein and Aargauer Kunsthaus are looking back on an eventful history. In its very title expressing a sense both of regret and of relief, the exhibition "tempi passati" reflects on this history from a point of view that is as respectful as it is detached, reminiscing about things past, yet at the same time willing to reconsider historical events from today's perspective. Milestones such as the launching of the Kunstverein, the founding of a comprehensive industrial arts museum in Aarau, the construction of the Kunsthaus and the museum's expansion will be considered within the larger context.

Arnold Böcklin: Die Muse des Anakreon, 1873

Oil on canvas, 79 x 60 cm
One of the first acquisitions by the Aargauischer Kunstverein

Click on image to enlarge.

The exhibition "tempi passati" evolves in close dialogue with the Aargauer Kunsthaus's permanent collection. Works from its rich holdings are juxtaposed with photographs, posters, catalogues and magazines as well as documents from the periphery of art and the art world, thus vividly and sensuously illustrating how, with time, the cultural context changes, and with it the demands on a museum and the public or private entities backing it. The Kunstverein and Kunsthaus appear at the charged point of intersection between artistic developments and social transformations. In an exemplary fashion the exhibition's narrative demonstrates how the vision of a small group of dedicated individuals developed into a cornerstone of the cultural self-image of our society. Beyond local art history the exhibition, thus, also focuses on developments in the way art is viewed over time.

Curator: Stephan Kunz in cooperation with the artist Christoph Gossweiler

Acknowledgments
The Aargauer Kunsthaus would like to thank the cultural foundation Pro Argovia as well as the Josef and Margrit Killer-Schmidli Foundation for their financial support.