‘… all the French works assembled around this nucleus are enthusiastic songs about the beauty of the visible world. Undisturbed by prejudices, pictures have been chosen that all betray a joyful passion for the infinite abundance of creations, and for all the joy of the senses, a touch of subtle intellectuality permeates this collection.’ In such euphoric words, the art historian Lucas Lichtenhan raved about Richard Bühler’s collection, which was auctioned in Lucerne in 1935.

Richard Bühler (1879 – 1967) was born in Winterthur as son of a textile manufacturer. After extensive educational travels, he took over the family business and at the same time devoted himself to modern and primarily French art. He found a kindred spirit in his cousin Hedy Hahnloser-Bühler. Both acquired extensive groups of works by French masters such as Odilon Redon (1840 – 1916), Pierre Bonnard (1867 – 1947) and Félix Vallotton (1865 – 1925). Richard Bühler’s method of collecting was characterised by an understanding of modern painting developed from colour, the aim of which was not primarily the reproduction of reality. Indeed, the picture was redefined as an autonomous creation.

As long-time president of the Kunstverein he was significantly involved in the building of the art museum designed by Robert Rittmeyer. His activities marked the ‘glorious decade’ (Rudolf Koella) of the world-renowned Winterthur art collections. The exhibition at the Kunst Museum Winterthur seeks to trace the main lines of his collection activity with selected masterpieces – providing true sensual pleasures in addition to refined spirituality.

Curators: Konrad Bitterli, Andrea Lutz, David Schmidhauser