Gerhard Richter's 'Acht Lernschwestern' Donated to Kunsthaus Zürich by Wyss
The Kunsthaus Zürich has received a major early work by Gerhard Richter as a gift from Hans B. Wyss and Brigitte Wyss-Sponagel. The eight-part painting 'Acht Lernschwestern' (1966) was donated to the Vereinigung Zürcher Kunstfreunde and will be installed in the museum's extension when it opens in October 2021. The work is based on a newspaper photograph of eight nursing students murdered in Chicago in 1966, a case that sparked widespread media sensationalism. Richter's piece, created in the same year as the crime, reflects the Pop Art movement's engagement with mass media and true-crime imagery.
The Signal
The acquisition fills a long-standing gap in the Kunsthaus's collection, which had lacked a major Richter work despite the artist's international significance. The painting is one of the few early Richter pieces still available for museum acquisition, making the donation particularly valuable. The work's inclusion in the new extension, which focuses on art from 1960 onward, underscores the museum's commitment to postwar and contemporary art. Richter's commentary on media culture and the commodification of tragedy resonates with ongoing debates about the role of sensationalism in art and journalism.
- Artists: Gerhard Richter
- People: Hans B. Wyss, Brigitte Wyss-Sponagel
- Museums: Kunsthaus Zürich
- Locations: Zürich
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