ZURICH.- Switzerland’s leading contemporary art organisation, the Kunsthalle Z黵ich, opened to the public for a preview week between 10 -17 June 2012 in its new permanent home within the L鰓enbr鋟kunst. The official reopening will take place in August 2012.

The L鰓enbr鋟 art complex, which also houses the Migros Museum f黵 Gegenwartskunst and a number of international leading galleries, has undergone a major renovation and redevelopment. The architects of the project are Gigon/Guyer Architects and Atelier ww. Gigon/Guyer is best known for the Kirchner Museum, Davos (1992), the Sports Centre, Davos (1996), the Museum Liner, Appenzell (1996) and the recently completed Prime Tower in Zurich (2011).

To celebrate the re-opening of the Kunsthalle Z黵ich, on 28 June there will be a benefit auction of works by leading artists who have exhibited at the museum since its founding in 1985. The auction will take place at Christie’s in London, with artists including Fischli and Weiss, Thomas Demand, Sarah Lucas, Elmgreen and Dragset, Thomas Ruff, Gabriel Orozco and Doug Aitken. Prior to the auction, the works will be on display during the preview week at the Kunsthalle Z黵ich in its inaugural exhibition, Looking Back for the Future.

Over the last 27 years, the Kunsthalle Z黵ich has established itself as one of Europe’s most influential art institutions, playing a role in defining the direction of contemporary art. Having moved to a series of different venues in its early years, the Kunsthalle Z黵ich has been based in the L鰓enbr鋟kunst since 1996. In 2005, the City of Z黵ich passed a motion to secure L鰓enbr鋟’s long term future as a centre for culture, thereby enabling the subsequent programme of redevelopment.

The space occupied by the Kunsthalle Z黵ich has been completely restructured. An intermediate floor has been added to two of the existing exhibition spaces to provide space for a public library, offices, meeting rooms, an archive and workshops. A white cube on top of the building creates a supplementary floor and provides a marker to draw attention to the Kunsthalle Z黵ich’s presence in the complex.

The redevelopment of the Kunsthalle Z黵ich was made possible by funding from the Stiftung Kunsthalle Z黵ich, which was established in 1993 following a generous endowment by Annette B黨ler. The current President of the foundation board, Maja Hoffmann, has greatly extended the significance and scope of the Stiftung Kunsthalle Z黵ich internationally.

Beatrix Ruf, Director of the Kunsthalle Z黵ich, said: “I am absolutely delighted that we will be opening our new space in L鰓enbr鋟kunst in June. It promises to give the Kunsthalle Z黵ich an exciting future and will enable us to extend our programme and improve our facilities for the benefit of our visitors.”