The Oskar Kokoschka Foundation was established in Vevey in 1988 at the instigation of the artist’s widow, Olda Palkovská. The collection, which covers all the artistic phases of Kokoschka (1886-1980), from his training at the School of Applied Arts in Vienna to his last years in Villeneuve, brings together a wide range of techniques. With the gradual growth of the collections, the Foundation now has more than 2,300 works, paintings, watercolours, drawings, as well as almost all the lithographed work. It also possesses an important collection of objects that belonged to the artist, which served as a source of inspiration for his various works. Since 2012, it has had a display space at the Musée Jenisch. Two permanent exhibition rooms and a temporary exhibition room allow the articulation of Kokoschka’s works around the main themes that occupied him over more than 70 years of creation, notably portraits, landscapes, nudes, still lifes, travel, theatre, opera and music.
In addition to the temporary exhibitions, the central room features masterpieces from the painting collection, which are particularly representative of his work and are displayed in a layout that gives an idea of the different facets of his talent. A biographical room with an animated film by Elizabeth Hobbs provides an insight into the adventurous life of the fascinating Austrian artist. The exhibition is rounded off by a cabinet of curiosities that recreates the setting in which he worked in Villeneuve, where he settled in 1953. Painting, drawing and lithography materials, objects from his personal collection and works from his library are displayed alongside his large tapestry, Amour et Psyché.
The tasks of the Oskar Kokoschka Foundation are the conservation, documentation and study of his works. To this end, it organises exhibitions with museums, private and public institutions in Switzerland and abroad, and promotes scientific research projects, publications and conferences on Kokoschka.
