Exhibition ‘Making an Impression!’ at the Kunsthaus Zürich – Masterpieces on Paper

More than 80 works from six centuries step into the spotlight: delicate woodcuts, masterly etchings and monumental formats bring the diversity of printmaking to life at the Kunsthaus Zürich.

Six Centuries of Printmaking

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The Collection of Prints and Drawings at the Kunsthaus Zürich is a veritable treasure trove of light-sensitive works. Many sheets can only be displayed for short periods before returning to the storerooms for conservation reasons. Some ten years after the centenary exhibition, the Kunsthaus now focuses on printmaking – a medium that is often misunderstood.

The presentation demonstrates that prints are much more than reproductions. The interplay of light and dark creates works of unique expressive power and an independent artistic language.

Nolde_Emil__Maennlicher-und-weiblicher-Kopf — Emil Nolde, Male and Female Head, 1937, Kunsthaus Zürich, 1938 © Nolde Stiftung Seebüll

Mueller_Otto__Liegendes-Maedchen — Otto Müller, Reclining Girl by the Tree Trunk, c. 1914, Kunsthaus Zürich, Donated by Hugo Moses, 1933

Dahm_Helen__Bewegter_Frauenakt — Helen Dahm, Moving Female Nude, undated, Kunsthaus Zürich, Donated by Doris Gäumann-Wild, 1953 © Helen Dahm Gesellschaft Oetwil am See

Roth_Dieter__6-Piccadillies_Blatt4 — Dieter Roth, Sheet 4 from: «6 Piccadillies», 1970, Kunsthaus Zürich, 2003 © Dieter Roth Estate / Courtesy Hauser & Wirth

Close_Chuck__Selbstportrait — Chuck Close, Self-Portrait, 1977, Kunsthaus Zürich, 1978 © Chuck Close Estate

Roth_Dieter__6-Piccadillies_Blatt5 — Dieter Roth, Sheet 5 aus: «6 Piccadillies», 1970, Kunsthaus Zürich, 2003 © Dieter Roth Estate / Courtesy Hauser & Wirth

Luginbuehl_Bernhard__Zyklop — Bernhard Luginbühl, Cyclops I, 1968, Kunsthaus Zürich, 1984 © Bernhard Luginbühl

Mehretu_Julie__Untitled — Julie Mehretu, Untitled, 2006, Kunsthaus Zürich, 2006 © 2025 Julie Mehretu

Beham_Hans_Sebald__Cimon-und-Pero — Hans Sebald Beham, Cimon and Pero, 1544, Kunsthaus Zürich, Collection Landammann Dietrich Schindler, 2000

Rijn_Rembrandt_Harmenszoon_van__Christus-lehrend — Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, Christ preaching (‘La Petite Tombe‘) c. 1652, Kunsthaus Zürich, Bequest of Leonie Tobler, 2003

Duerer_Albrecht__Adam-und-Eva — Albrecht Dürer, Adam and Eve, 1504, Kunsthaus Zürich, Collection Landammann Dietrich Schindler, 2000

Old Masters and Modernity

The exhibition spans from Dürer, Rembrandt and Goya to modern times. The works are arranged by technique, showing how woodcut, etching or engraving have been reinterpreted over the centuries. In modernity, artists such as Käthe Kollwitz, Mary Cassatt and Dieter Roth explored new procedures. Format, too, was pushed to the limit, as exemplified by Chuck Close’s monumental self-portrait.

« Printmaking is far more than reproduction – it is an autonomous artistic medium. » — Jonas Beyer, Curator

The selection of more than 80 prints has been curated by Jonas Beyer. A richly illustrated catalogue accompanies the show and extends the volume ‘Masterpieces of Drawing. 100 Years of the Prints and Drawings Collection at the Kunsthaus Zürich’ to include the field of printmaking.

Supported by the Truus and Gerrit van Riemsdijk Foundation, the Dr. Georg and Josi Guggenheim Foundation, and the Heinrich and Rose-Marie Landolt Foundation.