Rietberg Museum

The Wesendonck Villa, the main building of the Rietberg Museum

The Rietberg Museum is a museum in Zürich, Switzerland, displaying Asian, African, American and Oceanian art. It is the largest art museum focusing on non-European art and design in Switzerland, the third-largest museum in Zürich, and the largest to be run by the city itself. In 2007, it received approximately 157,000 visitors.

Location and buildings

The Rietberg Museum is situated in the 17-acre (69,000 m²) Rieterpark in central Zürich, on the western shores of the Lake Zurich, and consists of several historic buildings: the Wesendonck Villa, the Remise (or "Depot"), the Rieter Park-Villa, and the Schönberg Villa. In 2007 a new building, designed by Alfred Grazioli and Adolf Krischanitz, was opened – the addition of this largely subterranean building, known as "Smaragd", more than doubled the museum's exhibition space.

The Rieterpark is located near Zürich Enge railway station, and can also be reached by tram line #7 and bus line #33.

History

In the early 1940s, the city of Zürich purchased the Rieterpark and the Wesendonck Villa. In 1949, the villa was selected, by referendum, to be rebuilt into a museum for the art collection of Baron von der Heydt which he had donated to the city in 1945. This was carried out in 1951-52 under the architect Alfred Gradmann. The Rietberg Museum was opened on 24 May 1952. Johannes Itten, the Swiss expressionist painter, was director of the museum until 1956.

In 1976, the city acquired the Schönberg Villa, which had been threatened with demolition, and opened it in 1978 as an extension of the museum. Today, the villa is also home to an extensive non-lending library administrated by the museum.

Organisation and funding

The Rietberg Museum is operated by the presidential department of the city of Zürich. In 2007, it employed around one hundred people. About half of the funding comes from the city, while the other half is raised through revenue, sponsors, and donations. Additions to the collection come mostly from donations.

Publishing activities

The museum established an in-house press shortly after its founding in 1952. Initially, it published catalogues of the museum's Asian and African artworks, as well as occasional short monographs. The museum's publishing activity has increased since 1985, in connection with the large special exhibitions that it has organised since then, and it now publishes around five new titles per year.

Since 1991, the museum also publishes Artibus Asiae, a biannual scholarly journal on the arts and archaeology of Asia.

Sculpture

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  Exhibition room in the Wesendonck Villa
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  Exhibition room in the Wesendonck Villa
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  In the Depot
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  pair of figures, Egypt, Fifth Dynasty, c. 2400 BCE
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  Votive stele with Buddha Shakyamuni, China, Eastern Wei Dynasty, c. 536 CE
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  Acala, king of the mystical knowledge; Japan, Fujiwara clan, 12th century
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  Shiva Nataraja, Chola dynasty, 12th century
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  Idol of Suparśvanātha, the 7th Jain Tīrthankara, India, 14th century
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  Carved elephant tusk, Benin Empire, Nigeria, 17-18th Century
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  Abbaga Daraka Idol

Painting

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  A Monk is Greeted at the Gate of the Coronation Hall. Folio from a Kalpasutra Manuscript. India, ca. 1475.
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  Nanquan Puyuan kills a cat by Shōkei Kenkō. Japan, 1495
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  Krishna and Balarama Taking the Cattle to Graze. Folio from a Bhagavata Purana Manuscript. India, 1520-40
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  Giv battling Tur. Miniature by Siyavush Beg from the Shahnameh of Shah Ismail II. Qazvin, 1576-77.
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  Vishwamitra brings Rama and Lakshmana to his hermitage. Folio from the Mughal Ramayana. India, c. 1594
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  Varati Ragini, folio from the Chawand Ragamala series by Nasiruddin. Mewar, 1605
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  Shepherds and nobles welcome a mounted prince and princess. Attributed to Muhammad Qasem. Isfahan, ca. 1648
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  The Devi Rides in State. Folio from a Devi series attributed to Kripal of Nurpur. Nurpur, c. 1670
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  Thousand peaks and ten thousand valleys by Gong Xian. China, c. 1670
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  Raga Madhava, by the 2nd Master of the Shangri Ramayana series. Probably Bahu, c. 1720
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  Varaha and Hiranyaksha. Folio from a Bhagavata Purana Series by Manaku of Guler. Guler, c. 1740
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  Raja Balwant Singh of Jasrota examining a painting with Nainsukh by Nainsukh. Jasrota, 1745-1750
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  Ragini Madhumadhavi, by Jay Krishna. Malpura, c. 1756
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  Re-Enacting Krishna's marvellous Deeds, Folio from the Bhagavata Purana series ascribed to a Master of the first generation after Manaku and Nainsukh. India, c. 1780-1785

External links

• Official website
• 3D Google Earth model of museum complex