“In black and white or in colour?” exhibition at the Musée Ariana

To create its new “In black and white or in colour?” exhibition, on show from 30 June to 27 September 2020, the Musée Ariana initially ask the public to choose the eight pieces that would form the backbone from which other works would branch out. Almost 1,000 participations later and the exhibition can now be admired in its entirety.

Exposition "En noir ou blanc ou en couleurs?" au Musée Ariana

The Musée Ariana invited the public to choose their four favourite works from a selection of some forty pieces. The aim of this participatory project was to form the backbone of the museum’s next exhibition by selecting the eight works of art preferred by the voters.

It was an original means of seeing the works (some of which had never been on show) in a new light. Almost 1,000 participations later and the exhibition can now be admired in its entirety throughout the summer until 27 September.

Black, white, red...

Colour is inextricably linked with the history of ceramics. For this exhibition, Chief Curator Anne-Claire Schumacher imagined a coherent whole based on eight works chosen by the public and joined by a common thread: colour. In particular, she focused on bold and primary colours: the immaculate white of porcelain, the deep black of the manganese earth, the purple of Cassius and copper which gives rise to both red and turquoise.

Beyond the aesthetics of the works exhibited and the poetry they exude, the way in which they are staged highlights the ambivalence of this most singular of years; the shift from black and white to colour, calling on our freedom of choice for the future of our society. It is an exhibition that fosters contemplation and reflection...

The exhibition is a last-minute replacement for “Pièces à problèmes. Richard Slee and Robert Dawson, Twenty-Twenty”, postponed due to the artists and works not being able to travel.

Mobile guides

Thursday 2 July, continuous presence of Anne-Claire Schumacher from 6 p.m. to 9.30 p.m.
Sunday 12 July, 30 August, 20 September: 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. | Free visits, admission (CHF 5 / 3)

More information on the Musée Ariana website

Discover the eight works chosen by the public and their accompanying notice (PDF)

From 30 June to 27 September