Three Artists Reimagine Art History in Swiss Alpine Gallery

The Monica De Cardenas gallery in Zuoz, Switzerland, presents a group exhibition titled after Marcel Broodthaers's 'Musée Imaginaire,' featuring works by Uwe Wittwer, Michael van Ofen, and Sławomir Elsner. The show runs at the gallery's Swiss venue, a 14th-century Engadin house adapted by architect Hans-Jörg Ruch, preserving original features like the former barn's height and restored wooden ceilings. Wittwer (Zurich, 1954), a leading Swiss contemporary painter, reinterprets archival images to question painting's relationship with memory. Van Ofen (Essen, 1956; lives in Düsseldorf) creates seemingly sparse works that evoke experiential and visual memories. Elsner (Wodzisław, 1976; lives in Berlin) uses layered colored pencil lines to reconstruct figures from historical paintings, blurring them to challenge recognition. The exhibition spans landscapes, still lifes, and portraits, aiming to provoke reflection on art history, collective memory, and perception. The gallery was founded in Milan in 1992 and opened its Zuoz space in 2007.