Zaha Hadid's vision for Kurt Schwitters exhibition tribute realised in Zurich gallery
by Kim Megson | 17 Jun 2016
A passion project of the late Zaha Hadid has been unveiled to the world, with her exhibition design for a major retrospective of artist Kurt Schwitters opening in Zurich this week.
Schwitters was well known for his poetry, music and Dadaist-flavoured art. His most famous work is an installation called Merzbau – described by critics as “a living, inhabited, ever-expanding collage” – which spread over eight rooms in his Hanover home.
The artist was a major influence on Hadid’s often abstract oeuvre, and she had been planning to create a fully transformed gallery space inspired by Schwitters and Merzbau for Switzerland’s Galerie Gmurzynsk before her sudden death in March this year.
Hadid had previously worked with the gallery on a similar homage project celebrating the work of Russian painter Kasimir Malevich.
In the new exhibition, which will remain open until the end of September, 70 of Schwitters’ works across all media will go on display in a space specially remodelled by Hadid's studio to engage with them.
“This design process is capable of delivering an intricate order, open ended and unpredictable, but at any time highly articulate,” said Hadid’s long-time collaborator Patrik Schumacher. “It is full of contingencies, but forges a unique, path-dependent identity.”
Zaha Hadid Kurt Schwitters Merzbau Zurich Galerie Gmurzynsk architecture art design
The project was a passion project for Zaha Hadid Credit: Zaha Hadid Architects.
Schwitters was well known for his poetry, music and Dadaist-flavoured art Credit: Zaha Hadid Architects.
Kurt Schwitters was a major influence on Hadid’s often abstract oeuvre Credit: Zaha Hadid Architects.
11 May 2016
Zaha Hadid retrospective planned for Venice Architecture Biennale
01 Apr 2016
Tributes pour in for Zaha Hadid
A passion project of the late Zaha Hadid has been unveiled to the world, with her exhibition design for a major retrospective of artist Kurt Schwitters opening in Zurich this week. Schwitters was well known for his poetry, music and Dadaist-flavoured art. His most famous work is an installation called Merzbau – described by critics as “a living, inhabited, ever-expanding collage” – which spread over eight rooms in his Hanover
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