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Sunday, March 2, 2014

Kunsthaus Zurich


Saturday the girls and I finally made it to the Kunsthaus Zurich. It was a great way to spend the afternoon. Admission was free for the girls and audioguides were free for everyone.  It was fun for the girls because they got to try to recognize uncommon works by artists they know like Monet, Van Gogh, Johns, Warhol, and Chagall. They always get a kick out of Chagall since seeing Les fiances de la tour Eiffel, which is a favorite of theirs because it shows a couple riding off to their honeymoon on a chicken. 
S saw a  Kandinsky she really liked. But the hit of the day was this  Tony Cragg sculpture that S spotted from across the room. She could see from there that it was made of dice. In person it was mesmerizing.


The audioguides were  very interesting. They had lots of information about painting techniques, in particular. One story involved a trip the museum director and a donor took to Giverny. The director fell through one of the bridges into a pond. The donor got such a kick out of that that he bought two huge water lily paintings for the wing he was building.

S noticing brush strokes


My favorite part of the museum was the building itself. The old section has huge beautiful galleries with silver velvet chairs. It makes the art seem important and accessible at the same time. And the atmosphere is calm and contemplative. The girls and I are going back for a special exhibit, but I want to go back to the main collection, too, because I like the space so much. The gallery to the left has upholstered walls, maybe because it is open to the huge marble staircase and needed soundproofing.




After the museum we went to Peclard for hot chocolate. Because we were coming from the museum we got to see a new part of town. We also saw a new part of Peclard, a room with an elaborate antique bar. Peclard was packed. The girls and I are planning a trip for sometime when it is nearly empty. We really want it to sit on the red sofas someday!



Here is another reason to go back to Peclard. A hint has been dropped that a large Boissier tin would make a good Easter gift and souvenir of Peclard :)


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