John M Armleder's Curatorial Intervention at Geneva's Museum of Art and History
Swiss artist John M Armleder, aged 77, has been awarded complete creative freedom at the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Genève (MAH) from January 29 to October 25, 2026. Curated by Marc-Olivier Wahler, Armleder has chosen pieces from the museum's extensive collection of 800,000 items, organizing them into thematic spaces focused on abstraction, flowers, self-portraits, music, animals, and lighting. Highlights include amateur paintings alongside Dutch still lifes in a bouquet display, a music cabinet featuring a dismembered cello, and an animal room sorted by size. His "room of the void" displays empty crystal bell jars, while the armor room is adorned with silver paper. The concluding space, "Debris," exhibits archaeological fragments. Previous carte blanche artists include Ugo Rondinone and Wim Delvoye. Beaux Arts Magazine will cover the exhibition in issue 502, set for April 2026.
Key facts
- John M Armleder's carte blanche exhibition runs from January 29 to October 25, 2026 at the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Genève
- Armleder selected objects from the museum's collection of approximately 800,000 items across diverse categories
- The exhibition includes thematic rooms like abstraction, flowers, self-portraits, music, animals, and lighting
- A disco ball at the entrance symbolizes the fragmentation of the museum experience
- Armleder covered the museum's armor room with silver paper to conceal weapons, reflecting his pacifist beliefs
- The artist served seven months in prison at age 18 as a conscientious objector
- Previous carte blanche participants include Ugo Rondinone, Wim Delvoye, and Jean-Hubert Martin
- Armleder has about 500 of his own works in the MAH collection and donated one copy of each of his multiples
Entities
Artists
- John M Armleder
- Marc-Olivier Wahler
- Ugo Rondinone
- Wim Delvoye
- Jean-Hubert Martin
- Arman
- Christian Marclay
- Vincent Lamouroux
- Georges-Albert Fustier
- Henri Matisse
- Marcel Duchamp
- Gustav Metzger
- Laurent Le Bon
Institutions
- Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Genève (MAH)
- Beaux Arts Magazine
- Swiss Institute
- Palais de Tokyo
- Centre Pompidou
- Fiac
Locations
- Geneva
- Switzerland
- New York
- France
- Paris