🎨 Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich Art Museum

⭐️ By the time we arrived in Zurich and settled down, it was already three in the afternoon. As a casual soccer fan and a self-proclaimed art enthusiast, I was torn between visiting the FIFA Museum or the Zurich Art Museum. Eventually, I chose the art museum because the FIFA closes at six, while the Kunsthaus remains open until eight on Thursdays. ⭐️ This decision turned out to be spot on. The Kunsthaus Zürich is, hands down, the best art museum I've visited so far, and I'm tempted to drop the "one of" from that statement. Of course, this is a very subjective assessment. ⭐️ Firstly, I was captivated by the building itself—its elegant yet modern design, spacious rooms, and bright lighting exude an air of grandeur. Secondly, the collection is vast and features works by my favorite Impressionist masters, such as Monet, Renoir, Pissarro (Neo-Impressionist), and Van Gogh (Post-Impressionist). For me, Impressionist works, especially those emphasizing light and color, create a new world for the soul—a world brimming with passion and vitality. ⭐️ Many treasures in the museum come from the collection of Emil Bührle, an arms dealer and art collector who had a particular fondness for Impressionist paintings. Works like Renoir's "Little Irene," Van Gogh's "The Sower at Sunset," Monet's "Poppies at Vetheuil," and Cézanne's "The Boy in the Red Vest" are of immense artistic value. However, his collection is shrouded in controversy. During World War II, he amassed a fortune by selling arms to the NS and other Axis powers, becoming the wealthiest man in Switzerland. It was this wealth that fueled his art collection. Notably, despite Switzerland's neutrality in WWII, Bührle's arms company (WOB) sold weapons exclusively to the Axis powers! A significant number of the paintings were looted from Jewish collectors by the NS during the war, an act known as "Nazi confiscation," and these works are referred to as "looted art." Even those paintings sold by Jews through legitimate channels were often forced sales due to persecution and the need to flee. After WWII, some original owners of these paintings sued Emil Bührle for the return of their artworks. Emil Bührle's controversies extend beyond WWII. After the war, he continued to profit from arms sales during the Cold War and anti-colonial wars. Moreover, his company exploited workers. One commendable aspect of the Kunsthaus Zürich is that it not only displays these artistic treasures but also continually prompts us to reflect. #GlitteringEurope #GlitteringSwitzerland #GlitteringMuseumVisits #MuseumHopping