At the Foundation
Permanent galleries at the Musée Jenisch
Opening dates according to the Musée Jenisch website www.museejenisch.ch
Vevey, Musée Jenisch, Espace Kokoschka
The Musée Jenisch has several exhibition rooms devoted to Oskar Kokoschka. A biographical room offers an insight into the artist’s eventful life, while a cabinet of curiosities reconstructs the surroundings in which he worked in Villeneuve, Switzerland, where he settled in 1953. Painting, drawing and lithographic materials, items from the artist’s personal collection and works from his library are shown alongside his large tapestry Cupid and Psyche. Masterpieces from the collection of paintings that are especially representative of Kokoschka’s work are also exhibited regularly when there is no temporary exhibition.
Kokoschka's Odyssey
Vevey, Musée Jenisch, Espace Kokoschka
May 1, 2026 – August 23, 2026
Oskar Kokoschka (1886–1980) devoted a significant part of his later career to illustrating major classical texts. One of his most ambitious undertakings was his illustrations for Homer’s Odyssey. Through a series of lithographs, Kokoschka identifies deeply with Odysseus –the wandering hero who embodies wit and vulnerability. Transcending traditional illustration, Kokoschka's work offers a profound exploration of the human condition, echoing his own life journey marked by upheaval, exile, and unyielding resilience.
Moved by the narrative and moral scope of the text, the artist viewed the Odyssey as a quest for inner reconciliation. These powerful, expressive works bear witness to a deeply personal meditation, offering an interpretation in which allegory and metaphor play a central role. Through this series, Kokoschka conveys a universal message of freedom, resilience, responsibility, and courage, encouraging us to embrace life fully despite its many challenges.
Elsewhere
Barocco. Il gran teatro delle idee
Forlì, Museo Civico San Domenico
21 February 2026 – 28 June 2026
Loan of four works from the Fondation Oskar Kokoschka
Forlì, Museo Civico San Domenico
Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka, and the Body in Contemporary Art
Mestre/Venezia, MUVEC
30 September 2026 – 14 February 2027
Loan of 17 works from the Fondation Oskar Kokoschka
Kokoschkas Hintergründe
Salzburg, Museum der Moderne (Rupertinum)
23 October 2026 – 30 May 2027
Loan of 7 works from the Fondation Oskar Kokoschka
Curated by : Barbara Herzog (Museum der Moderne) and Aglaja Kempf (Fondation Oskar Kokoschka)
With the exhibition Kokoschkas Hintergründe, the Museum der Moderne Salzburg presents, at its old town location, an exhibition offering insights into Kokoschka’s compositions. The focus is on the development of the backgrounds in his works over the course of his career. The exhibition features a selection of early paintings, set in dialogue with works from the late 1930s through the 1970s. Complemented by drawings and prints from the museum’s extensive collection, it provides a rich and multifaceted view of Kokoschka’s artistic development.
Dessine-moi une histoire. Regards sur le livre jeunesse illustré
Cologny, Fondation Martin Bodmer
17 November 2026 – 27 June 2027
Loan of a work from the Fondation Oskar Kokoschka