One of the treasures of the Kunstmuseum Bern is the significant holding of works of early art. From 13 February to 27 September 2026, the museum is putting this part of its collection at the centre with the exhibition Life in Full. Old Masters from Duccio to Liotard. Alongside masters from the early modern period, the exhibition features works of Florentine and Sienese painting from the Trecento and Quattrocento as well as masterpieces of the Baroque. A fascinating exhibition that reflects the full range of life: martyrdom meets grandstanding, asceticism encounters opulence, virtue confronts lust.
Skillful altarpieces by Niklaus Manuel and the Bern Carnation Masters, and intimate devotional works of medieval Florentine and Sienese painting from the 13th to the 15th century are juxtaposed with elegant portraits and opulent still lifes by artists such as Joseph Heintz, Johannes Dünz, Albrecht Kauw and Jean-Etienne Liotard. Joseph Werner’s allegorical representations of virtue, justice and healing meet dramatic narratives from Greek mythology. With around 70 paintings and some works on parchment, the exhibition Life in Full. Old Masters from Duccio to Liotard in the Kunstmuseum Bern presents an impressive picture of the rich and varied imagery from the late Middle Ages to the Baroque.
Treasures from six centuries
The exhibition encompasses works from the 13th to the 18th century, starting with Duccio di Buoninsegna’s Maestà, the oldest painting in the collection of the Kunstmuseum Bern. It includes major holdings of Bern artists, but also some works from Germany, France and the Netherlands. One major focus is formed by the elaborate altarpieces of the Bern Carnation Masters, active between 1480 and 1510, and the significant holding of works by Niklaus Manuel, born around 1484.
The main gallery is devoted to Manuel, who was not only a painter, poet and graphic artist, but also a reformer, mercenary and alderman of the city of Bern, and to the Bern Carnation Masters. Many altarpieces, some shown free-standing, present extravagant and highly detailed scenes from the lives of the saints, and invite deeper contemplation.
Earthly and heavenly goods
In the age of the Baroque, Bern was one of the powerful city states, and for centuries the more affluent parts of the population enjoyed economic prosperity. Opulent still lifes displaying the rich harvests of the rural estates, as well as a comprehensive selection of prestigious portraits reflect this ‘material culture’ and the luxury of bourgeois life.
At the same time, and in contrast with the presentation of material wealth, concepts of a good and virtuous way of life were also addressed in painting. Examples of this are allegorical paintings by Joseph Werner and the famous Bern Tablet of Cebes by Joseph Plepp. This monumental painting, over 3 metres wide and with around 200 figures, shows the vicissitudes of humankind on their way to salvation.
The Estate of Adolf von Stürler
One highlight of the exhibition is a selection of works from the estate of the artist Adolf von Stürler (1802–1881). The painter left some 170 works to the Kunstmuseum Bern, which found their way into the collection in 1902. These include works by Florentine and Sienese masters of the Trecento and Quattrocento such as Bernardo Daddi, Fra Angelico and from the workshop of Sandro Botticelli – works which are without parallel in Switzerland, and which are among the oldest and most valuable paintings in the Kunstmuseum Bern’s collection. The holding also includes the Maestà by Duccio di Buononsegna, as precious as it is famous, which can be seen in a cabinet in the exhibition alongside other altarpieces and fragments.
Of Flora, Neptune and Venus
In another cabinet, mythological depictions by Bernese, French and Dutch artists serve as counterpoint to the many biblical scenes. This small but fine selection shows the fates of Greek gods and nymphs from the 16th to the 18th centuries. As a particular feature, miniatures by Joseph Werner are also on view. The small, very filigree works on parchment are shown only rarely because of their sensitivity to light.
IMAGES
Joseph Heintz d. Ä.
Portrait of a Lady, 1598
Oil on canvas
87 × 70 cm
Kunstmuseum Bern, depositum of Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft, Bundesamt für Kultur, Gottfried Keller- Stiftung
Photo: Kunstmuseum Bern
Duccio di Buoninsegna
Maestà, around 1290–1295
Tempera on poplar wood, covered with canvas, original frame
31,5 × 23,2 × 2,5 cm
Kunstmuseum Bern, Estate of Adolf von Stürler, Versailles
Photo: Kunstmuseum Bern
Fra Angelico
Madonna col Bambino, around 1445–1450 Tempera on poplar wood
46,6 × 35,1 cm
Kunstmuseum Bern, Estate of Adolf von Stürler, Versailles
Photo: Kunstmuseum Bern
Sandro Botticelli (Werkstatt)
Madonna del Magnificat (Replica of a panel in the Uffizi, Florence), after 1480
Tempera on poplar wood, fragment of a tondo
36 × 27,3 cm
Kunstmuseum Bern, Estate of Adolf von Stürler, Versailles
Photo: Kunstmuseum Bern
Bernese Carnation Masters
John's Sermon in Front of Herod, 1495–1500 Mixed media on fir wood
107,5 × 125 cm
Kunstmuseum Bern, Staat Bern
Photo: Kunstmuseum Bern
Niklaus Manuel (I.)
The Beheading of John the Baptist, around 1514
Mixed media on spruce wood
121,2 × 84,2 cm
Kunstmuseum Bern Photo: Kunstmuseum Bern
Niklaus Manuel (I.)
The Temptation of Saint Anthony, 1518–1520 Mixed media on spruce wood
101 × 126 cm
Kunstmuseum Bern, depositum of Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft, Bundesamt für Kultur, Gottfried Keller- Stiftung, acquired with contributions of Kanton Bern, Burgergemeinde Bern, Gemeinde Bern and Verein der Freunde Kunstmuseum Bern
Photo: Kunstmuseum Bern
Joseph Werner d. J.
Allegory of Justice, 1662
Oil on canvas
166 × 225 cm
Kunstmuseum Bern, Staat Bern Photo: Kunstmuseum Bern
Joseph Werner d. J.
Flora in Front of a Fountain, 1666 Gouache on parchment over copper plate
14×10,5cm
Kunstmuseum Bern, Staat Bern Photo: Kunstmuseum Bern
Albrecht Kauw
Storage with cock and hen, 1678 Oil on canvas
146,5 × 101,3 cm Kunstmuseum Bern
Johannes Dünz
The four Seasons: Summer, n. d. Oil on canvas
58 × 78 cm
Kunstmuseum Bern, Staat Bern Photo: Kunstmuseum Bern
Jean-Etienne Liotard
Simon Luttrell, futur Earl of Carhampton,
1753–1754
Oil on canvas
83×63cm
Kunstmuseum Bern, loan of the art collection of the City of Bern Photo: Kunstmuseum Bern
Photo: Kunstmuseum Bern
Represented artists
Heinrich Aldegrever (1502–1561)
Fra Angelico (†1455)
Hans Asper (1499–1571)
Jacob de Backer (1555–1585)
Berner Nelkenmeister
Balthasar van den Bossche (1681–1715)
Sandro Botticelli (Werkstatt) (1445–1510)
Crispin van den Broeck (1524–1591)
Duccio di Buoninsegna (1255–1319)
Jacopo del Casentino (1279–1358)
Lucas Cranach d. J. (1515–1586)
Bernardo Daddi (1295–1348)
Johannes Dünz (1645–1736)
Taddeo Gaddi (†1366)
David Cornelisz de Heem (1663–1718)
Joseph Heintz d. Ä. (1564–1609)
Jan Sanders van Hemessen (circle of) (1500–1566)
Albrecht Kauw (1616–1681)
Jean-Etienne Liotard (1702–1789)
Niklaus Manuel (I.) (1484–1530)
Master of the Madonna della Misericordia
Andrea di Nerio (1331–1387)
Lorenzo di Niccolò di Martino (around 1373–around 1412)
Alvaro Pirez d’Evora (before 1411–after 1434)
Joseph Plepp (1595–1642)
Nicolas Poussin (attributed to) (1594–1665)
Johann Ulrich Schellenberg (1709–1795)
Vincent Sellaer (1490–1564)
Joseph Werner d. J. (1637–1710)
