The Ulmberg Collection is one of the most important collections of Classical Modernism in Europe and is now being shown to the public for the first time. In addition to works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, it also includes numerous works by artists closely associated with him and Expressionism.
This includes other members of the "Brücke" artists' group, as well as Max Beckmann, Lyonel Feininger, August Macke and Emil Nolde. The collection also features works by prominent contemporary artists, such as Francis Bacon, Louise Bourgeois, Lucio Fontana, and Pierre Soulages. Lastly, the Ulmberg Collection also represents Concrete Art, with works by renowned artists such as Max Bill, Gottfried Honegger, Imi Knoebel, Verena Loewensberg, and Richard Paul Lohse.
Davos now has the opportunity to exhibit the Ulmberg Collection as a long-term loan at the Kirchner Museum. An expansion is planned to accommodate this.
The exhibition New Masterpieces. Ulmberg Collection brings together the outstanding artworks of the Ulmberg Collection, complemented by individual pieces from the Kirchner Museum Davos. At the center are, in addition to Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's paintings, further masterpieces of Expressionism, Classical Modernism, and art from the second half of the 20th century. This unique presentation highlights the synergies between the two significant collections and shows how the Kirchner Museum Davos collection is growing and deepening with the acquisition of the unique holdings from the Ulmberg Collection.
A strong local connection to Davos is evident within the Ulmberg Collection, particularly in the extensive holdings of the painterly work of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880–1938) and Philipp Bauknecht (1884–1933). Kirchner's Expressionist masterpieces, both from before and after his emigration to Switzerland, form the start of the extensive painting presentation, along with thematically fitting highlights from the Kirchner Museum Davos collection.
Kirchner’s painter friends and Brücke colleagues – Erich Heckel (1883–1970), Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (1884–1976) and Max Pechstein (1881–1955) – impress with their color-intensive and expressive paintings. This group of artists revolutionized the art of their time by establishing an expressive painting style with vibrant colors and bold forms. Outside the Brücke group, works by Max Beckmann (1884–1950) complement the field of Classical Modernism. The mysterious symbolism and dark color palette of these paintings are contrasted by the bright, crystalline color planes of Lyonel Feininger (1871–1956).
Innovative post-war art and the artistic breakthroughs in the field of abstraction are represented, among others, by works from Fritz Winter (1905–1976) and Willi Baumeister (1889–1955). Surrealist aspects of this development are illustrated by fantastic images from Max Ernst (1891–1976) in another room, complemented by the so-called lyrical abstractions through emotional color application in the works of Serge Poliakoff (1900–1969).
The final chapter is dedicated to monumental post-war painting: large-format, expressive works by Pierre Soulages (1919–2022), Hans Hartung (1904–1989), and Lucio Fontana (1899–1968), as well as unique paintings by Francis Bacon (1909–1992) and Georg Baselitz (b. 1938), demonstrate the impressive power and diversity of art in the second half of the 20th century.
The joint presentation of these collections in the exhibition New Masterpieces. Ulmberg Collection transforms the Kirchner Museum Davos into a radiant center of modern painting.
