Where art and science come together

For over 150 years, ETH Zurich has not only been teaching technical and scientific knowledge, but also art: with the Collection of Prints and Drawings, the university has an internationally renowned institution for art on paper. But how did this come about in the first place - and what significance does this art form still have today in the age of digitalization and AI?

10.04.2024 by Mona Blum

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Two people in the Prints and Drawings Department marvel at the art — A look at the Collection of Prints and Drawings. (Photograph: ETH Library Zurich, Image Archive / Photographer: Blaser, Frank)

High above the city of Zurich, in a side wing of the main ETH building, very special treasures are stored: Around 160,000 sheets of prints, drawings and photographs are stored here in a multitude of inconspicuous black archive drawers, well protected from light and other environmental influences. "Some people may be surprised that ETH Zurich has such a large art collection," says Linda Schädler, Head of ETH’s Collection of Prints and Drawings. But there is a reason for this - and a long history.

Promoting an "open mind" with art

"The Collection of Prints and Drawings was originally established in 1867 for the students and researchers of ETH Zurich," explains Linda Schädler. From the very beginning, the Federal Polytechnic - as ETH Zurich was still called at the time - placed great importance on the "studium generale": students should not only be trained in scientific and technical subjects, but also acquire knowledge in other disciplines. In order to promote such an "open mind", a professorship for art history and archaeology had already existed at ETH since its foundation in 1855.

However, people did not travel as frequently back then as they do today, and photography was not yet widespread. Therefore, anyone who wanted to learn about art in the 19th century often looked at reproductions, for example etchings or engravings of an original painting. These prints were printed in an edition - so they were not only available as a one-off copy - and thanks to their light weight, they were easier to transport than some originals.

To make the world of art accessible to ETH researchers and students, Johann Gottfried Kinkel, the third professor of art history and archaeology at ETH, decided in 1867 that the university needed a "Kupferstichkabinett" for study and teaching purposes. This was the starting signal for today's Collection of Prints and Drawings.

Old masters promote reputation

Johann Gottfried Kinkel acquired around 11,000 single sheets and 150 bound engravings as his first basic stock. A good twenty years later, around 12,000 prints were added - including works by old masters such as Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt and Franzisco de Goya - which were donated to the Collection of Prints and Drawings by Zurich banker Heinrich Schulthess-von Meiss. With this enlarged, valuable collection, the Collection of Prints and Drawings became known beyond the university.

Connection to science and the public

Today, the Collection of Prints and Drawings has over 160,000 works of art on paper. In addition to the old masters, there are also works by artists from Pablo Picasso to Andy Warhol as well as contemporary artists. "Our collection continues to be an important source of inspiration for teaching and research," says Linda Schädler. New works, exhibitions or events are sometimes created in collaboration with research groups. "Such collaborations are very important to us. Both sides benefit from the different ways of thinking of the other. This helps us to perceive our own discipline differently and to question certain methodologies," says Linda Schädler, describing the relevance of the Collection of Prints and Drawings for science.

“We offer a different approach to ETH, which in the best case can open new doors.”
Linda Schädler, Head of ETH’s Collection of Prints and Drawings

At the same time, however, the collection is also an important link between the university and the public: "Many people interested in art visit our exhibitions and are surprised that ETH Zurich, as a technical university, has such art treasures. In this way, we offer a different approach to ETH, which in the best case can also open new doors."

From the idea to the exhibition

To ensure that this bridge between the university and the public can continue to be built in the future, three curators are responsible for the exhibition program. Ideas for future exhibitions are collected on an ongoing basis - the program has already been defined until 2026. It often takes around two years from the initial brainstorming to the final exhibition.

Each year, the Collection of Prints and Drawings puts on three exhibitions, each lasting three months. A longer exhibition period would be detrimental to the works of art. This is because prints - like drawings and photographs - are extremely sensitive to light and cannot be presented permanently.

«Im Rausch(en) der Dinge: Fetisch in der Kunst»

On April 10, 2024, the Collection of Prints and Drawings will open its latest exhibition. According to the exhibition program, there will be "eye-catching gestures and postures, but also grandiose and bizarre over-staging of banal things". The varieties of fetishistic mechanisms in the arts are explored from the Middle Ages to Romanticism and the present day.

"Im Rausch(en) der Dinge: Fetisch in der Kunst", 10.4. to 7.7.2024, daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Find out more about the exhibition

What does the future hold?

The Collection of Prints and Drawings is still growing today - partly through donations and partly through acquisitions. "We mainly acquire contemporary art in order to keep our finger on the pulse of the times," explains Linda Schädler. "We are interested in the future of art on paper. How is drawing done today? What new elements and techniques are being added?" Digitization also plays an important role here. For the past four years, the holdings of the Collection of Prints and Drawings have been digitized in a concentrated project and made accessible online. This is an important addition to make the works even more widely available - but not a substitute for the physical collection and direct engagement with the original works. "Physical access to the works is still our future," Linda Schädler is certain. "Especially in today's digital world, where a lot is communicated via screens, people appreciate a direct encounter with art on paper."

“AI will not replace artists.”
Linda Schädler

The team at the Collection of Prints and Drawings is also actively monitoring the topic of artificial intelligence (AI). "There are many exciting questions in connection with AI, such as the authenticity and authorship of art. However, I think that people still have a need to see something that has been created by a human being," says Linda Schädler. "AI will not replace artists. However, it will be interesting to see how artists themselves use AI."

ETH’s Collection of Prints and Drawings

The Collection of Prints and Drawings is located in the main building of ETH Zurich. During temporary exhibitions, the exhibition room is open free of charge from Monday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (see opening hours and directions). Individual works can also be viewed in the original in the study room and studied in depth by prior appointment. A large number of works are also accessible digitally.

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