Through July 18, 2026, the Gabriele and Anna Braglia Foundation in Lugano reopens to the public the exhibition Kandinsky, Jawlensky, Werefkin and the Masters of Expressionism, following the success of the fall season. The exhibition marks the second half of the show dedicated to the Foundation’s 10-year anniversary (2015-2025), offering an itinerary enriched with works by artists who have profoundly transformed the history of modern art, including Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Lyonel Feininger and Alexej von Jawlensky.
The exhibition chronicles sixty years of passion and research by collector couple Anna and Gabriele Braglia, whose complicity guided each acquisition. Combining curiosity and emotion, the collection reflects the desire to stimulate a direct dialogue between the visitor and the works, through an artistic language capable of intense communication.
“Anna and I have always been deeply gratified by the extraordinary beauty of our artworks, which we have never stopped admiring,” says Gabriele Braglia.
At the center of the exhibition are works by Paul Klee made between 1912 and 1929, considered the original spark of the Braglias’ collecting passion. Joining Klee are Lyonel Feininger and other pioneering masters of the early 20th century artistic revolution, including Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Erich Heckel, Hermann Max Pechstein, Otto Müller and Emil Nolde, founders of the Die Brücke (The Bridge) group in 1905. The group was the creative engine of a vibrant and innovative movement capable of redefining artistic language with expressive intensity and new color experiments. The tour continues with leading exponents of the Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), such as Kandinsky, Franz Marc, August Macke, Gabriele Münter, Alexej von Jawlensky, Marianne von Werefkin and Heinrich Campendonk. The works of these artists are distinguished by their use of pure colors and visionary forms, capable of imparting a new energy to the European art scene and influencing modernity. The exhibition also pays special attention to the acquisitions of the last decade, confirming the Braglia collection’s ongoing quest for cultural enrichment.
Parallel to the exhibition, the Foundation offers a rich calendar of events and cultural mediation initiatives. Scheduled meetings include Paul Klee on March 14 with Elena Pontiggia, professor at the Brera Academy and Milan Polytechnic; Ernst Ludwig Kirchner on March 28 with Carla Burani, art historian and former director of the Kirchner Museum in Davos; on April 18, in-depth study of Expressionism and the Blaue Reiter with Manuela Kahn-Rossi, former director of the Museo Cantonale d’Arte in Lugano; and finally, on May 9, focus on Marianne Werefkin with Mara Folini, director of the Musei Comunali d’Arte Moderna in Ascona. Also, on May 17, on International Museum Day, activities dedicated to cultural mediation are planned. All events require reservations and admission to the spring exhibition is free. The Braglia Foundation accompanies the exhibition with a bilingual Italian/English catalog, which collects the main critical contributions and documents the collection.
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| Expressionism returns to Lugano with Kandinsky, Klee and the masters of the Blaue Reiter |
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