Cornices are everywhere. Windows, doors, ceilings, mirrors, wall panelling from across the centuries sport elaborate profiles at their edges. Cars and clothes, furniture and household objects feature their own cornice-like elements. Strips, bands and lines of paint act like cornices by framing or crowning almost any kind of artefact.
Still, cornices hide in plain sight. They attract far less attention from architects, critics or theoreticians than, for instance, columns or architectural orders.
In response, the exhibition focuses on the many incarnations of the cornice in art and architecture. To reveal these histories and uncover the complex role of the cornice in architecture, urbanism and art, the exhibition will unite a unique selection of over 150 drawings, prints, books and objects from the 15th century to the present day. Authors and artists exhibited include Francesco di Giorgio, Gottfried Semper, Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier.
Meister GA mit der Fussangel (um 1538 tätig), Korinthischer Sims mit Akanthusblättern verzierte Konsole, 1530 – 1540, Kupferstich, Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich.