Wilhelm Lehmbruck (1881 Duisburg – 1919 Berlin), one of the most important sculptors of his generation, moved to Zurich from Germany in 1916. During the First World War, the city became a meeting place for international artists. It was in this inspiring environment that Lehmbruck reached another peak of his powers: his last works in particular reveal him to be a visionary, charting out a new course with his ‘mental’ sculptures.

Joining him in a visual dialogue is the contemporary Swiss artist Yves Netzhammer (b. 1970 Schaffhausen), whose drawings, spatial installations and computer-generated video films are a captivating blend of corporeal appearance and pictorial narrative. Netzhammer will conceive the overall spatial design of the exhibition and develop new works in resonance with Lehmbruck.

The exhibition is a cooperation with the Kunstmuseum Moritzburg in Halle (Saale), in collaboration with the Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg.

Ill.: Wilhelm Lehmbruck, Head of a Thinker, 1918, Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg, photo: Dejan Saric