Wild at Heart: Romanticism in Switzerland

From scenes of untamed nature amid the Alpine peaks to dramatic turning points in Swiss history and harrowing shipwrecks: this exhibition on Swiss Romanticism transforms the Kunsthaus Zürich into a panorama of grand emotions.

With over 150 works it spans the arc from Henry Fuseli to Alexandre Calame and the early Arnold Böcklin. It reveals the considerable contribution made by Swiss artists to the development of European landscape painting and vividly showcases their awestruck contemplation of the eternal glacier ice and the sublime world of the mountains.

Romanticism also opens up areas of experience that lie beyond the realm of purely rational thought. Passion, exaltation of the senses and a fascination with the unfathomable are central elements in the art of this period. They reflect an attitude to life that is currently enjoying a revival as an antidote to our over-rationalized everyday existence. Now is therefore the perfect time to revisit the multifaceted spirit of renewal that Swiss Romanticism embodies with such vitality. Our review will also incorporate famous Romantics from neighbouring countries, thus adding an international perspective to our appreciation of Swiss Romanticism.