The exposition Reading Girls focuses on the painter Albert Anker (1831-1910). As a politician, the artist advocated children’s right to an education, and as a painter, he often represented girls and young women in reading and writing.
Albert Anker is one of the best-known Swiss artists. He is highly appreciated for his detailed and idealising representations of traditional peasant communities. Aside from his work as an artist, he also held official posts in the municipality of Ins and the canton of Bern. He was active in school policy and dealt with educational matters, such as establishing the local secondary school in 1896.
Albert Anker, self-portrait, 1901, Kunstmuseum Bern, Gift from his widow Anna Rüfli (1835–1917). Photo: © Kunstmuseum Bern
The exhibition in the Kunstmuseum Bern puts the motif of the reading girl within the context of his vision of the world and the emancipation of women in Switzerland. The presentation is based on the museum’s collection and loans from museums and private collections.
Albert Anker, Cécile Anker, 1886. Collection: Centre Albert Anker, Ins. Foto: © Kunstmuseum Bern
The exhibition combines 25 paintings, watercolours, and drawings,. During Anker’s time as an artist and a politician in the 19th century, girls and women’s access to education could not be taken for granted. Only after the total revision of the Swiss constitution in 1874 was compulsory education—for both sexes—imposed across the country.
As an artist, he picked up the education theme and represented it with images of children on the way to school and in class, as well as many depictions of reading girls. The girls and young women – always portrayed as individuals – are naturally immersed in their reading and writing.
This focus on Albert Anker coincides with the forthcoming opening of the Centre Albert Anker in Ins on June 7th.
The exhibition lasts until July 21st, 2024.
An overview of the exhibition. Photo: TES