Arp, Cahn, Magnelli, Taeuber-Arp. The Art of Giving

Over the past ten years, the Marguerite Arp Foundation has received several private donations of artworks. In many cases, these are works that Jean Arp or Marguerite Arp-Hagenbach had given to friends and which now, decades later, are returning to the Foundation, completing the collection.
A virtuous cycle of gifts. The exhibition presents works by local artists Jean Arp (1886–1966) and Sophie Taeuber-Arp (1889–1943) in dialogue with Marcelle Cahn (1895–1981) and Alberto Magnelli (1888–1971): four leading figures in 20th-century modern art, linked by a deep friendship. Along with precious, unpublished archival materials, the exhibition features paintings, collages, reliefs, sculptures, and drawings, some of which are being shown to the public for the first time.

The body of work by Marcelle Cahn, an exponent of geometric abstraction tinged with lyricism, is the most important in Switzerland and covers the period from the 1950s to the 1970s.

On display are relief tableaux, collages, and the lithographs that accompany Arp's poem cycle Blatt um Feder um Blatt. Alberto Magnelli's recently donated works present his artistic career from the 1920s to the 1960s through one of the most significant collections in Switzerland. The splendid collage A mes amis Sophie et Jean (1940) and the lithographs created by several artists for the Album Grasse document the strong bonds of friendship.

Exhibition curated by Simona Martinoli

Opening hours:
Every Sunday: 14:00–18:00
In October also every Saturday: 14:00–18:00

Special openings:
06.04 Easter Monday
14.05 Ascension
25.05 Whit Monday
05–15.08 Locarno Film Festival, every day 14:00–17:00

Guided tours and cultural mediation activities by appointment