Aargauer Kunsthaus

The Aargauer Kunsthaus pays tribute to the distinct oeuvre of Hans Schärer (1927 – 1997) in a solo exhibition, thereby continuing an ongoing exhibition history of the artist, who holds an outstanding position within Swiss art. The topicality of his work is revealed in the thematic interconnection of two series of works that were created between 1960 and 1990: the Madonnas and the erotic watercolours. The radical, pastose paintings with incorporated keys, teeth, stones, and hair are confronted with the playfulness and the delight in storytelling that characterises the erotic watercolours. The two series of works that were created simultaneously reflect on the status of women as sacred icons and (alleged) saints as opposed to the erotically charged image of women. The juxtaposition of sensuality and religious symbolism, of the earthly and the other-worldly raises the question which perceptions we assign to the depicted bodies.