The Art Newspaper

Zurich galleries have mixed feelings about makeover

The renovation and expansion of the 1898 Löwenbräu brewery temporarily scatters a cluster of dealers, private and non-profit museums in the once gritty area along the Limmatstrasse

By Lindsay Pollock. From Art Basel daily edition
Published online: 15 June 2010

Is the glass half full or half empty? The Zurich arts community is having mixed feelings about the renovation of the red-brick former Lowenbrau brewery on Limmatstrasse, scheduled for completion in 2012

One of Zurich’s main gallery districts has fallen prey to gentrification, temporarily scattering a cluster of dealers, private and non-profit museums that pioneered the once gritty area along the Limmatstrasse, northwest of the city’s centre. A renovation and expansion of the 1898 red-brick former Löwenbräu brewery will begin in September with completion scheduled for 2012.

The current tenants include dealers such as Eva Presenhuber and Hauser & Wirth, private museums—the Migros Museum for Contemporary Art and Daros Foundation—and the non-profit Kunsthalle Zurich. “It’s a cleaning phase for the future on all levels,” says Beatrix Ruf, director of the Kunsthalle Zurich. She said the development will result in a permanent future for the organisations in a space that was always somewhat temporary.

The building is owned by PSP Swiss Property, a real estate investment company that owns Swfr 5.2bn worth of property. In addition to renovating and expanding the art spaces within the historic brewery, PSP plans to develop a 20-storey condominium tower and a new building with office space.

The renovated space will be a marked improvement for the Kunsthalle, which currently lacks offices, storage space and an archive. The plan is for a new floor to be added to increase the square footage.

But the dealers have mixed feelings about the plans. “Of course we need a renovation. We need better facilities,” says dealer Bob van Orsouw, a tenant since 1998. “It’s a pity that we have to move out for two years.” Iwan Wirth, co-founder of Hauser & Wirth, who moved into the space in 1996, appreciates the “low key and modest” ambience. “I would have loved to keep the status quo here,” says Wirth who nonetheless expects the renovated complex will be positive. Hauser director Florian Berktold said the new expansion will make space available for younger dealers.

During the renovations the Migros Museum, Hauser & Wirth, and Galerie Bob van Orsouw will relocate to the Hubertus Exhibitions space located two miles from the city centre. The Kunsthalle plans to mount programmes and shows at venues across Zurich. These groups have announced their intentions to return to the Löwenbräu.

Galerie Eva Presenhuber and Galerie Peter Kilchmann are set to move permanently in April 2011 to new spaces in the nearby Maag-Areal area.