art faces
Artists’ portraits from the Würth Collection

26 July 2021 extended until 6 June 2022

“The artist’s portrait … familiarises us with a personality we only know from their work. Be it a writer, musician, painter or sculptor – confronted with their work we become curious about what the person who made it is like. What personality is hidden behind the work? We expect photography to provide us with an answer to this question.”

Erika Billeter (1927–2011), Art historian

The work and its creator – we often look at the one and speculate about the other. The artist’s portrait is one possibility of getting closer to the person. In an engaging and insightful way the photographs of fine artists on show at the Forum Würth Rorschach offer us this personal access. The bundle of photographs in the Würth Collection stems from a Swiss collection compiled by François and Jacqueline Meyer. François Meyer – himself a photographer – used his profession in order to come to grips with the art that surrounded him from his childhood. He achieved this in New York in the 1970s where he had access to numerous artists’ studios. Faithful to his initial interest in the person behind the work, the portrait photographs he took strive to illustrate the relationship between artists and their art.

A special feature of this exhibition of artists’ portraits is that original works by several of these artists can be seen at the same time in the exhibition “Up for more – News from the Würth Collection on art created since 1960” and in the Sculpture Garden around the Würth Haus Rorschach.

Exhibition folder (German/English)