El Anatsui, In the World But Don¶t KnoZ the World, 2009, Aluminium und Kupferdraht, 560 x 1000 cm, Kunstmuseum Bern und Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Erworben durch die Stiftung GegenwART, die Vereiniging Rembrandt (durch Zuschüsse ihres Titus Fonds, ihres Themafonds Naoorlogse en Hedendaagse kunst und ihres Coleminks Fonds), den Mondriaan Fund und die BankGiro Loterij, mit besonderem Dank an die SIGG COLLECTION

Media Release Tu 22.12.2020

Purchase of a work by El Anatsui Two museums, two countries, one cooperative purchase

Rising prices in the art market are making it increasingly difficult for public art institutions to purchase new works. Now the Kunstmuseum Bern and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam have joined forces to acquire a work by El Anatsui from the Sigg Collection, a Swiss private art collection. El Anatsui from Ghana is Africa’s most prominent contemporary artist, known for large sculptures made from recycled bottle caps. For the Kunstmuseum Bern, this is the first joint acquisition with an international partner. The work will be shown alternately in Bern and Amsterdam. The purchase was financed for Bern by the Stiftung GegenwART, for Amsterdam by the Vereniging Rembrandt, the Mondriaan Fund and the BankGiro Loterij. The purchase was also made possible by the special patrons’ pricing offered by the Sigg Collection.