DÉCOUPAGE, A LABOUR OF LOVE

 
Until October 1, 2021
 
TARMAK22 | GSTAAD SAANEN, SWITZERLAND
 
Installation view
'Découpage, A Labour of Love’
Tarmak22, Gstaad, 2021. Photo: Guadalupe Ruiz
 

Historically, the paper-cut was a humble and accessible medium used to depict the slow, simple and laborious way of life in the Swiss Alps. Today, a new exhibition traces the origins and development of the paper-cut in Switzerland through more than 150 works made in the 19th and 20th centuries. The selection is juxtaposed with contemporary works by international artists such as Richard Prince.

The exhibition begins with works by local masters such as Johann-Jakob Hauswirth (1808-1871), known as the father of Swiss paper-cutting, alongside Louis David Saugy (1871-1953) and Christian Schwizgebel (1914-1993). Then it segues to works by contemporary local artists, among them Margherita Agnelli de Pahlen and the prolific Anne Rosat, who is recognized as one of the most highly acclaimed artists working with the medium today.

Tarmak22 has also teamed up with the galleries Sadie Coles, Gagosian and David Zwirner to present works by renowned artists like Prince, Jockum Nordström, Balthus and Setsuko Klossowska de Rola that find a resonance with the collage-like qualities found in paper-cuts, indicating the wide-spread appeal of the medium.