Museum Rietberg

The Rietberg Museum is a museum in Zürich, Switzerland, displaying Asian, African, American and Oceanian art. It is the only 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 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.Museum Rietberg in Zürich
Hubertus Adam, ''Bauwelt'' 17, 2007.

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.List of publications by the Rietberg Museum's press
Katalog der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek.

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

Sculpture

File:Museum Rietberg 01.jpg, Exhibition room in the Wesendonck Villa
File:Museum Rietberg 02.jpg, Exhibition room in the Wesendonck Villa
File:Museum Rietberg 06.jpg, In the Depot
File:Figurenpaar Ägypten Museum Rietberg RAG 1.jpg, pair of figures, Egypt, Fifth Dynasty, c. 2400 BCE
File:Wei Votivstele Museum Rietberg.jpg, Votive stele with Buddha Shakyamuni, China, Eastern Wei Dynasty, c. 536 CE
File:Fudo Myoo Museum Rietberg RJP 21.jpg, Acala, king of the mystical knowledge; Japan, Fujiwara clan, 12th century
File:Shiva Nataraja Museum Rietberg RVI 501.jpg, Shiva Nataraja, Chola dynasty, 12th century
File:Thirthankara Suparshvanath Museum Rietberg RVI 306.jpg, Idol of Suparśvanātha, the 7th Jain Tīrthankara, India, 14th century
File:Benin Stosszahn Museum Rietberg RAF 607 img02.jpg, Carved elephant tusk, Benin Empire, Nigeria, 17-18th Century
File:Abbaga Daraka and Koti or Chennaya Museum Rietberg 2008-51-52.jpg, Abbaga Daraka Idol

Painting

File:3 Master of the Devasano Pado. A Monk is Greeted at the Gate of the Coronation Hall Folio from a Kalpasutra Manuscript. ca. 1475. Museum Rietberg, Zurich.jpg, ''A Monk is Greeted at the Gate of the Coronation Hall''. Folio from a Kalpasutra Manuscript. India, ca. 1475.
File:Shokei Nansen zanbyo 1495 RJP 438 detail.jpg, ''Nanquan Puyuan kills a cat'' by Shōkei Kenkō. Japan, 1495
File:5 Masters of the Dispersed Bhagavata Purana. Krishna and Balarama Taking the Cattle to Graze Folio from a Bhagavata Purana Manuscript 1520-40. Museum Rietberg, Zurich.jpg, ''Krishna and Balarama Taking the Cattle to Graze''. Folio from a Bhagavata Purana Manuscript. India, 1520-40
File:Giv battling Tur.jpg, upright=1.1, ''Giv battling Tur''. Miniature by Siyavush Beg from the Shahnameh of Shah Ismail II. Qazvin, 1576-77.
File:Vishwamitra brings Rama and Lakshmana to his hermitage.jpg, ''Vishwamitra brings Rama and Lakshmana to his hermitage''. Folio from the Mughal Ramayana. India, c. 1594
File:8 Nasiruddin. Varati Ragini folio from the Chawand Ragamala series, Chawand, Rajasthan, 1605, Museum Rietberg, Zurich.jpg, ''Varati Ragini'', folio from the Chawand Ragamala series by Nasiruddin. Mewar, 1605
File:Shepherds and nobles welcome a mounted prince and princess.jpg, ''Shepherds and nobles welcome a mounted prince and princess''. Attributed to Muhammad Qasem. Isfahan, ca. 1648
File:The Devi Rides in State.jpg, ''The Devi Rides in State''. Folio from a Devi series attributed to Kripal of Nurpur. Nurpur, c. 1670
File:Gong Xian. Thousand peaks and ten thousand valleys. Museum Rietberg.(mounting).jpg, ''Thousand peaks and ten thousand valleys'' by Gong Xian. China, c. 1670
File:Raga Madhava, Folio from the Ragamala series.jpg, ''Raga Madhava'', by the 2nd Master of the Shangri Ramayana series. Probably Bahu, c. 1720
File:Varaha and Hiranyaksha.jpg, ''Varaha and Hiranyaksha''. Folio from a Bhagavata Purana Series by Manaku of Guler. Guler, c. 1740
File:Raja Balwant Singh of Jasrota examining a painting with Nainsukh.jpg, ''Raja Balwant Singh of Jasrota examining a painting with Nainsukh'' by Nainsukh. Jasrota, 1745-1750
File:Ragini Madhumadhavi - Girl flees from a storm.jpg, ''Ragini Madhumadhavi'', by Jay Krishna. Malpura, c. 1756
File:Re-Enacting Krishna's marvellous Deeds, Folio from the Bhagavata Purana series.jpg, ''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

References

External links

Rietberg Museum website
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3D Google Earth model of museum complex

{{Authority control
Art museums and galleries in Zurich
Anthropology museums
African art museums
Asian art museums in Switzerland
Mesoamerican art museums
Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Zürich
Art museums established in 1952
1952 establishments in Switzerland