Marking the 2010 triple anniversary, the exhibition tempi passati looks at the eventful history of the Aargauischer Kunstverein and the Aargauer Kunsthaus, putting such milestones as the launching of the Kunstverein 150 years ago, the subsequent founding of a comprehensive industrial arts museum and the construction of the Kunsthaus 50 years ago as well as its expansion in 2003 into the perspective of the larger context.

The exhibition tempi passati evolves in close dialogue with the Aargauer Kunsthaus’s permanent collection. Works from its rich holdings are juxtaposed with photographs, posters, catalogues and magazines as well as documents from the periphery of art and the art world, thus vividly and sensuously illustrating how, with time, the cultural context changes, and with it the demands on a museum and the public or private entities backing it. The Kunstverein and Kunsthaus appear at the charged point of intersection between artistic developments and social transformations. In an exemplary fashion the exhibition’s narrative demonstrates how the idea of a small group of dedicated individuals developed into a cornerstone of the cultural self-image of our society. Beyond the local developments tempi passati, thus, also focuses on developments in the way art is viewed over time.

The exhibition is a project with the artist Christoph Gossweiler und Freistilmuseum.