Knowledge & culture

Art and History Museum Neuchâtel

A treat for the eyes and a mirror on the world

The permanent exhibitions on display at Neuchâtel's Musée d'art et d'histoire (MAHN) – situated in an exceptionally beautiful spot – are well worth a visit. They showcase the region's historical and artistic heritage most notably by means of a carefully selected permanent display of the museum's collections (sculpture, applied art, history and coins). They also trace the thousand year-long history of the city of Neuchâtel. MAHN regularly presents new temporary exhibitions as well.

The temporary exhibitions take up exciting aspects of the history of the city of Neuchâtel. The museum currently displays 200 objects illustrating the advertising-specific work of the Neuchâtel company Suchard. Famous motifs such as the Milka cow, Suchard Express and the Toblerone are exhibited.

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Temporary exhibitions

9 May to 5 September 2021

Discover four creators from four very different worlds: Sivan Eldar, Mingjun Luo, Francine Mury and Jiang Zuqing.

A material, an experimental surface and an important, centuries-old medium for sharing information – paper is the one thing that unites the ideas and works of these guest artists. The exhibition deals with concepts originating in the space between the Orient and the Occident, relativism and the hybridisation of identity, and creates dynamic contrasts between cultures and media of expression. The energetic movement, flow or meticulousness of ink drawings, sound compositions and in-situ installations are brought to life, highlighting the richness of the base material, languages and sensibilities.

Created following a meeting between the artists Jiang Zuqing and Francine Mury, and a visit to a paper factory in the Chinese province of Anhui, the project showcases spectacular drawings of monumental size, drawn with four hands.

Mingjun Luo, a Chinese artist based in Switzerland, uses paper to create works that are influenced by the issues of her dual cultural identity, questioning the terms roots, commemoration and memory.

This interplay between cultures and means of expression has also led to the integration of a musical dimension into the exhibition, whereby composer Sivan Eldar was invited to create an original installation on the topics of the sound and vibrations of paper.

The concepts of the space between East and West and the relativity of borders are explored from a new perspective through the media of drawing, sound and musical writing.