Moving Bodies

In May, for the first time, Architecture Week took place in Basel, Switzerland’s architectural capital. In the course of one week, it was possible to attend over 100 lectures, tours, workshops, exhibitions, concerts and performances. Our Skulpturhalle got in on the act, putting its galleries at the disposal of the Paul Schatz Stiftung, which presented two works by the one-of-a-kind sculptor, inventor and scholar Paul Schatz.

In 1929, Paul Schatz made the chance discovery that the cube could be inverted, and from there went on to discover the geometrical forms of the oloid and the cuboid. Schatz’s whole life was influenced by this fundamentally new geometry. He spent decades searching for and finding over 20 ground-breaking applications for it, including aeronautical applications and a unique form of ship propulsion. When his “Umstülp-Pavillon” (Inversion Pavilion) and “Oloid” went on display in the Skulpturhalle, the contemporary found itself juxtaposed with the ancient: the oloid, a geometrical shape born of movement encountered sculpture from the ancient world that captured the human body in motion.

antiken Bildwerken, die den menschlichen Körper in Bewegung zeigen.

Die Installation stiess auf grosses Interesse, und eine spannende Podiumsdiskussion in der Skulpturhalle rundete unsere Teilnahme an der Architekturwoche ab.

«Umstülp-Pavillon»

“Inversion Pavilion“

The installation excited great interest, and an animated panel discussion in the Skulpturhalle rounded off our contribution to Architecture Week.

Eine illustre Gästeschar versammelte sich Ende Mai im wunderbaren Oberlichtsaal zur Feier der neuen Museumspublikation «101 Meisterwerke», die herausragende und aussergewöhnliche Werke aller Abteilungen des Museums inklusive der Abgusssammlung der Skulpturhalle behandelt. Das handliche Buch ist bei unseren Vernissagegästen sehr gut angekommen und soll nun auch unseren Besucher*innen die Möglichkeit geben, den Museumsbesuch zu Hause nochmals Revue passieren zu lassen. Es ist in drei Sprachen erschienen und wird zu einem moderaten Preis im Museumsshop zum Kauf angeboten.

An illustrious crowd of guests gathered at the end of May in the wonderful Skylight Gallery to celebrate the museum’s new publication “101 Masterpieces”, showcasing outstanding and unusual works from all the museum’s departments, including the plaster cast collection in the Skulpturhalle. This handy volume received a positive response from the guests at the launch and should now give visitors the opportunity to retrace their museum tour at home. It is available in three languages and is on sale at a modest price in the museum shop.

Freuen dürfen sich unsere Besucher*innen auf die gleichnamige Audiotour, die ab Februar 2023 lanciert wird. Mit dem Rundgang, der durch das gesamte Antikenmuseum führt, kann man sich auf eine auditive Zeitreise begeben und erhält anhand der ausgewählten Exponate spannende und lebendig vorgetragene Einblicke in die antiken Kulturen und in ihre Bedeutung für die Gegenwart.

Visitors can also look forward to an audio tour with the same title, due to be launched in February 2023. It will guide them around the entire Antikenmuseum, taking them on an auditory journey through time, and with its lively commentary on selected exhibits, provide exciting insights into the cultures of Antiquity and their significance for the present day.

Art Parcours

13.–19. Juni 2022