Abegg-Stiftung

Ancient Textiles the Star Attraction

When a unique historic textile needs to be conserved, the Abegg-Stiftung, as a renowned international centre of competence in this art, has the necessary know-how. Here textiles are researched and conserved according to highest standards.

The Abegg-Stiftung is attractive to the general public because it houses one of the world’s most important textile collections. Visitors are invited to discover precious fabrics and other works of art from different artistic epochs and regions in the permanent exhibition with its innovative lighting technology. Early Persian bronzes, central Asian silk kaftans, gold brocaded velvets as well as paintings from the workshops of Rogier van der Weyden and Sandro Botticelli are on view.

 

 

Villa Abegg ©Abegg-Stiftung, CH-3132 Riggisberg (Christoph von Viràg)
Abegg-Stiftung
Villa Abegg
Guided tours every afternoon for max. 5 people per group
Su, 28.04.2024 – Su, 10.11.2024
Reservation recommended

The Villa Abegg was built by Werner and Margaret Abegg in the 1960s in the style of north Italian Baroque. The interior with its historical wall-panelling contains antique furniture and works of art from the Renaissance to the Rococo, supplementing and extending the Abegg-Stiftung collection. Yet the villa has also retained the character of a private home that small, discreet groups of visitors are welcome to admire on guided tours. Each year, a different work of art or group of objects is brought to the fore.

 

Accompanying programme

Abegg-Stiftung
Guided tours every afternoon for max. 5 people per group
Guided tours Monday–Friday: 2.35, 3.30 and 4.30 p.m. / Guided tours Saturday–Sunday: 2.05, 3.00 and 4.00 p.m.
Su, 28.04.2024
Silk velvet with gold embroidery; Velvet: Italy / Embroidery: Spain (?), 1430-1450; inv. no. 4266 © Abegg-Stiftung (Christoph von Viràg)
Abegg-Stiftung
The Deceived Eye – Textile Effects and Their Simulation
Su, 28.04.2024 – Su, 10.11.2024
open daily from 2 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.

So what is it? Velvet ? Embroidery? In this year's special exhibition, not everything is as it seems at first glance. The theme is textile trompe l’œils, that is, the representation of fabrics and their distinctive qualities in other textile arts. The exhibited fabrics, embroideries, wall hangings and vestments, dating from the fourth to the seventeenth centuries, are prime examples of textile trompe l’œils that invite the viewer to take a closer look.

 

Accompanying programme

Abegg-Stiftung
Public guided tours in German
at 2.30 p.m. (1 hour)
Su, 28.04.2024 Su, 05.05.2024; Su, 19.05.2024; Su, 26.05.2024; Su, 16.06.2024; Su, 23.06.2024; Su, 18.08.2024; Su, 22.09.2024; Su, 13.10.2024; Su, 27.10.2024; Su, 03.11.2024; Su, 10.11.2024;
18th-century clothing in the permanent exhibition. ©Abegg-Stiftung, CH-3132 Riggisberg (photo: Christoph von Viràg
Abegg-Stiftung
Highlights of the collection
Permanent exhibition
open daily from 2 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.

The permanent exhibition presents the highlights of the collection. These include ancient wall hangings preserved in the sandy deserts of Egypt, kaftans from Central Asia and Mongolia, silk robes from China’s Liao Dynasty and sumptuous fabrics woven in Europe between the twelfth and eighteenth centuries. Paintings, sculptures and important works of applied art are also exhibited and shed light on the interrelationships between textiles and other arts.