The exhibition Collection: Gustav Schneeli is the first in a series of solo exhibitions in the lower story of the Kunsthaus, each presenting the works of a single artist from a different generation from the collection of the Glarner Kunstverein and the collections that have been entrusted to the Kunsthaus as permanent loans. These exhibitions in the lower story will alternate on a six-monthly basis, and the galleries there will be permanently devoted to the presentation of the collection. In this series of collection exhibitions the aim is primarily to take a closer look at the oeuvre of each selected artist, showing both well-known works and works that have never been presented in public. This will enable a comprehensive overview of each artist’s oeuvre, making it possible for viewers to study their techniques and ideas in depth. Educational events, under the title Collection Insights, will take place alternately in the exhibition galleries and the collection depot. This exhibition concept intends to offer alternative formats to the usual collection exhibitions that tend to show only works that have been deemed masterpieces. The presentation of work cycles leads to a new understanding of contexts and a new way of looking at art, as well as new perspectives on the history of the collection itself.

The legacy of Gustav Schneeli is of great significance for the history of Kunsthaus Glarus, in both tangible and intangible ways. He was born in 1872 in Zurich, in a wealthy family that originally came from Glarn. He studied art history with Jacob Burckhardt in Basel, and around 1900 he was called to Rome as a Swiss attaché, where he began to study law in order to prepare for diplomatic service. In 1905 he began to increasingly turn to his other great interest—painting. He lived and worked in Munich, Paris and Rome, developing an artistic idiom that was influenced by symbolism and impressionism. From the beginning of the war he lived in Switzerland in Vuippens Castle in the canton of Fribourg. Kunsthaus Glarus holds around 140 works dating from between 1900 and 1940, mostly paintings and drawings. The museum also has portraits of the Schneeli family from the family estate painted by other artists. The estate of Gustav Schneeli is held by Kunsthaus Glarus, which itself was built with his support.

Gustav Schneeli’s twelve paintings of bouquets of flowers have been either seldom or never before on display at Kunsthaus Glarus. They are excellent examples of a sub-genre of still-life painting that has fascinated countless artists over the centuries. They are also Gustav Schneeli’s only series of paintings of still lifes or interiors.