Agenda

The exhibition shows sculptures of saints whose beauty and expressiveness still fascinate. In addition to numerous statues of saints and their stories, the Palm donkey of Steinen from 1055, the Madonna of Raron from 1150 and a Romanesque figure of Mary, which is considered to be the forerunner of the statue of grace of Maria of the Abbey of Einsiedeln, are also on display. The exhibition gives insight into the diverse world of the saints, their legends, miracles and the traditions of Christianity.

The Greek potter and painter Exekias lived in Athens in the 6th century BC and worked in the Kerameikos, the potters’ quarter of the city. Little is known about his life (born before 550 BC, death around 525 BC), but his vases live on forever. He represents Athenian black-figure painting at its technical and artistic pinnacle and his ceramics were exported to Greek settlements in the Mediterranean and Etruscan territories in Italy. Etruscan graves in Vulci, Chiusi and Orvieto are silent witnesses of his prestige. His horses and a dying Ajax are amongst his most famous depictions. Although he missed the performances of the heyday of Greek tragedies in the fifth century, he was a predecessor of the psychology behind the deeds and appearances of mankind. He was one of the first Greek vase artists to have signed his work both as potter and as painter. For the first time, Exekias’s high quality oeuvre will be displayed in a monographic exhibition. Never before has it been possible to display together some 20 of his works.

The exhibition is dedicated to the theme of ecological issues of our time, such as plastic and global warming. Ecology and sustainable development are seen as a communication system in which man and nature maintain a relationship of exchange and interaction. Electronic art is used to increase public attention and awareness for current ecological issues.