EXTRAORDINARY! UNKNOWN WORKS FROM SWISS PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTIONS AROUND 1900

The artworks created by patients in psychiatric institutions attract increasing interest from the public, but there exists very little research on the subject.

In a unique project undertaken by the Zurich University of the Arts, the works created in all the cantonal hospitals in Switzerland around the year 1900 were catalogued for the first time. A selection of works can now be seen for the first time in an exhibition. The patients created their works with dedication and great technical and artistic skill. They considered them variously as a contribution to public life, as an invention or expression of their thoughts, as a criticism of the institution or as an enriching aspect in their monotonous everyday life.

In cooperation with: LENTOS Kunstmuseum Linz, Sammlung Prinzhorn Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Zürcher Hochschule der Künste

Supported by: Schweizer Kulturstiftung pro helvetia, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung