This selection includes works by such artists as Gauguin, Hodler, Picasso, Boccioni, Gris, Léger, Kirchner, Marc, Miró, Magritte, Arp, Klee, Beckmann, Giacometti, Dubuffet, Kricke, Colombo, Fontana, Klein, Manzoni, Schoonhoven, Uecker and Fruhtrunk.
The division of the building into three levels makes it possible to structure the exhibition by theme and era. The opening exhibition starts off on the lower ground level with an exploration of the individual in various artistic manifestations from around 1910 to 1970, from Wilhelm Lehmbruck to Willem de Kooning. This theme reflects a major emphasis of the collection.
On the first upper level, the era of classical modernism is presented on the basis of representative paintings and sculptures from approximately 1880 to 1945, from Georges Seurat to Wols. Works of Expressionism, Cubism and Surrealism play a prominent role in this context. Going forward the holdings of classical modernist works will constitute the mainstay of future Hilti Art Foundation exhibitions.
The period of art from 1945 to the present is shown on the third level. Paintings, sculptures and objects from Josef Albers to Imi Knoebel illustrate the tremendous diversity of artistic questioning and forms of expression in the period after the Second World War.
The exhibition was curated by Uwe Wieczorek, curator of the Hilti Art Foundation. The show is accompanied by a catalogue available from Hatje Cantz publishers.