Inspiration

History of the work

Anyone entering the Kunsthalle Bern on Helvetiaplatz passes two reliefs of Laufen limestone set into the facade to the left and right of the entrance. Gustave Piguet made them in 1946. The city's register lists them as two works titled 'Inspiration' and 'Création'; the data do not make clear which relief is on which side, and the captions of the photographs on Wikimedia Commons are swapped relative to the city's entries.

The building itself is older. The Kunsthalle Bern association had it built in the Kirchenfeld district in 1917 and 1918 and opened it on 5 October 1918. The house became known for exhibitions ranging from Paul Klee to Bruce Nauman and for Harald Szeemann's 1969 show 'When Attitudes Become Form'. In the year the reliefs were made, Arnold Rüdlinger took over the directorship from Max Huggler.

According to SIKART, Gustave Piguet was born in Interlaken on 19 February 1909 and died on 12 December 1976; his place of citizenship was Le Chenit in the canton of Vaud. The lexicon describes him as a sculptor for buildings and public space. The short biography on the art portal AskArt says he trained in Bern as a wood and stone sculptor, went to Paris, worked on the 1937 World Exhibition and returned to Bern when war broke out in 1939. Many commissions followed there; besides the Kunsthalle, AskArt mentions St Peter's church and the town hall.

In July 1968, for the Kunsthalle's 50th anniversary, Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the entire building, the first building they ever wrapped. Standing in front of the entrance today, you can compare the two reliefs side by side and decide for yourself which one fits which title.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Kultur Stadt Bern, Kunst im öffentlichen Raum (offene Daten) · Wikipedia (de): Kunsthalle Bern · SIKART: Gustave Piguet · AskArt: Gustave Piguet, Biografie · Wikimedia Commons: Kalksteinrelief Création (Gustave Piguet 1946)