Museum Rietberg

The Museum Rietberg Zurich is the only art museum for non-European cultures in Switzerland exhibiting an internationally renowned collection of art from Asia, Africa and Ancient America. It intends not only to focus on the fascinating variety of artistic expression, but also to raise interest and understanding of foreign cultures, views and religions. Special exhibitions focussing on these cultures are furthermore the core of its worldwide acclaim.

After a stroll through the serene Rieter Park, with a view of the city and the Alps, enjoy the museum with its enchanting interplay of old and new: the historic mansions recount their stories – Richard Wagner wrote Tristan and Isolde here – while the new green glass pavilion, the Emerald, marks the entrance to the modern underground extension.

Museum Rietberg, © Willi Kracher.

Swiss Re has maintained an active sponsoring partnership with the Museum Rietberg since 1999. The fruits of this partnership are the highly regarded "Angkor - Cambodia’s Divine Legacy" exhibition in 2007 and of course the “Emerald”-building, the unique reception area and atmospheric entrance to the museum’s exhibition rooms. Swiss Re's donation made a significant contribution to its realisation.

Luo Ping (1733–1799) – Eccentric visions : 9 April until 12 July 2009

“Luo Ping – Eccentric Visions” represents another important milestone in the Museum Rietberg’s collaboration with Swiss Re.

Luo Ping (1733–1799) Hanshan and Shide Undated Hanging scroll, ink and light colour on paper, 78.7 x 51.8 cm The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri Purchase: Nelson Trust, 72–5.	Luo Ping: growing up as an orphan in the 18th century, but blessed with extraordinary artistic talent, he quickly made a name for himself in the flourishing art scene of the Chinese trade metropolis Yangzhou, and later in the capital Beijing. As the youngest of the so-called “Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou”, Luo Ping revolutionised Chinese painting with his unconventional, innovative art. Many of the artworks loaned from Chinese museums which you can see here today are valued in China as national treasures of the highest rank. And what is more, the majority of them are on public display outside China for the first time ever. This underlines not only the pre-eminence of the artist Luo Ping, but also the particular importance of the Museum Rietberg hosting this first extensive exhibition of his works. The two most important museums in China, the Palace Museum in Beijing and the Shanghai Museum, along with The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York have come together under the direction of the Museum Rietberg to assemble the first ever comprehensive presentation of the work of this outstanding eighteenth-century artist. www.rietberg.ch

Luo Ping (1733–1799)
Hanshan and Shide
Undated
Hanging scroll, ink and light colour on paper, 78.7 x 51.8 cm
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri Purchase: Nelson Trust, 72–5.

Luo Ping: growing up as an orphan in the 18th century, but blessed with extraordinary artistic talent, he quickly made a name for himself in the flourishing art scene of the Chinese trade metropolis Yangzhou, and later in the capital Beijing. As the youngest of the so-called “Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou”, Luo Ping revolutionised Chinese painting with his unconventional, innovative art. Many of the artworks loaned from Chinese museums which you can see here today are valued in China as national treasures of the highest rank. And what is more, the majority of them are on public display outside China for the first time ever. This underlines not only the pre-eminence of the artist Luo Ping, but also the particular importance of the Museum Rietberg hosting this first extensive exhibition of his works.

The two most important museums in China, the Palace Museum in Beijing and the Shanghai Museum, along with The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York have come together under the direction of the Museum Rietberg to assemble the first ever comprehensive presentation of the work of this outstanding eighteenth-century artist.

www.rietberg.ch