Sammlung Arthur und Hedy Hahnloser

Around 1900, there was a spirit of change. Industrialization and the emerging bourgeoisie were breaking down old structures - including in art. The artistic concepts that had prevailed until then were being radically questioned. Arthur and Hedy Hahnloser, who came from affluent families, began collecting paintings like other families in Winterthur. They were particularly interested in contemporary French art. However, art was not merely an aesthetic decoration for them; it was an existential necessity. Over a period of thirty years - from 1906 to 1936 - works by renowned names were gathered: van Gogh, Cézanne, Matisse, Hodler, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Bonnard, Vallotton. This resulted in one of the most significant private collections of 20th-century art in Switzerland. The couple lived in Villa Flora, where social evenings with artists and art lovers took place, with art never appearing pompous but rather as part of the residents' everyday reality. The "Du" magazine dedicates an issue to the collection of Arthur and Hedy Hahnloser, following the reopening of Villa Flora as a museum in spring 2024 after extensive renovations. The spirit of that time has largely been preserved. One can feel the personal connections that the collecting couple maintained, particularly with Félix Vallotton, to whom they owed many personal contacts. He introduced them to his Nabi artist colleagues such as Pierre Bonnard, Édouard Vuillard, Ker-Xavier Roussel, and Aristide Maillol, and also acquainted them with the younger generation of Fauves, including Henri Matisse, Albert Marquet, and Henri Manguin. With over sixty works, Vallotton is the most represented artist in the collection. This issue of "Du" provides insight into the collection and the lives of Arthur and Hedy Hahnloser.