Deepen your appreciation for art, history, and culture. Join the AIC’s organized excursions to museums and galleries, often guided in English. Tours have included visits to local institutions, day trips to Lausanne and Bern, and weekend outings to Aix-en-Provence.

 

Cultural Events: The best of art and dining.

 

The AIC Cultural Events program in 2008 focused on the more interesting museum exhibitions in Switzerland combined with enjoyable meals together in Basel, Pregny, Lausanne and Martigny. The key to our understanding and enjoyment of the art was the quality of our English-speaking guides.

 

The 2008 program began with a trip to Basel and the Beyeler exhibition Action Painting, more properly known as Abstract Expressionism. While Jackson Pollock is the most well known of this school of painting, he had only a couple of works in this exhibition. Pollock was in fact the last of this school, which ended with his suicide. Of more interest were some of the earlier and lesser known painters: Hoffmann, Clyfford Still, Morris Louis, Nay. Our excellent guide, Tim, provided considerable background on the theory and philosophy behind Abstract Expressionism. He took us through the Genesis creation myth of Wols, the infinite vanishing point of Matta, and the radical departure to painting made by Pollock. After Pollock, there was nowhere else for Abstract Expressionism to go. The power of this exhibition was that it covered the entire school with its main contributors from beginning to end.

 

Our next visit was in mid-summer, with a very pleasant visit to the Museum of Swiss in the World at the Chateau de Penthes in Pregny (Geneva). Along with the permanent collection highlighting the contributions made by Swiss outside of their home country, there was a temporary exhibition Small number, BIG IMPACT focusing on the most famous among the 400,000 Swiss who emigrated to America. Afterwards, the group had a private dinner at the restaurant Cent-Suisse in their pavilion. We were especially privileged to have Mr. Benedict von Tscharner and his wife join us. He is a very engaging personality and story-teller, and introduced us to his recent biography on Albert Gallatin, an early Secretary of the Treasury and founder of New York University.

 

In the fall, we again participated in the Foundation de l’Hermitage program Art et Gastronomy in Lausanne. Following a guided tour of XVIII century Italian paintings from the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo (Italy), we enjoyed an excellent 4-course dinner at the adjacent restaurant L’esquisse. In fact, the group appreciated the meal more than the art.

 

Our 2008 season ended with a trip to Martigny and the Fondation Giannada for its extensive exhibition celebrating Balthus’ 100th anniversary. Balthus is not everyone’s cup of tea, but our guide, Martha, gave a short overview of his most important works. Balthus spent much of his life in Switzerland, including Geneva. He was an important influence, along with Albert Skira and Alberto Giacometti, in the post-war Geneva intellectual, artistic, and literary life as highlighted by the journal Labyrinthe. This, in fact, in the subject of the current exhibition at Musée Rath in Geneva.

 

 

AIC Cultural Event outings continue in 2009, and we invite all AIC members to participate in the coming cultural events.

 

Robert Race, Chair Cultural Events Committee