Old is Gold
5th March, 2026
I always love museum hopping, especially when I go to London, but this museum hop was rather special as I got to visit them with one of my oldest and closest friends, Payal Sethi, all the way in Zurich. We literally only had 24 hours together, and we saw SO much! I couldn’t have asked for better company. We both love art, music, culture and food. It was just too short. As we walked around the city, we realised that Zurich was quite the cultural hub for artists and musicians touring and exhibiting from all over the world. We just loved it.
The day we arrived, we left our bags in the room, headed straight out to grab a bite, then walked the lovely autumnal streets of Zurich and finally ended up at ETH, officially known as the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Natural Sciences, which was founded in 1855. Albert Einstein was among its alumni.
Apart from the fascinating architecture, what made us go in was the small exhibition that housed old sketches of Picasso and wow, what a lovely thing to witness. I don’t think we have seen this anywhere else. And at a university, how very cool!!
It was called PICASSO I BLOCH—a UNIQUE FRIENDSHIP. Georges Bloch acquired many of Picasso’s prints, and he greatly admired them. He donated them to the Gottfried Keller – Stiftung with the understanding that they would be shared with eight Swiss museums, and ETH is one of them.
The University
Love looking at the ceilings of the old buildings.
Walking through the University and admiring the architecture!
And a great balance of old and modern architecture in the same building.
Portrait de Jacqueline de face, Pablo Picasso,1962
It is very unusual to see Picasso’s sketches. These Aquatint series were produced for the Spanish Pavilion at the 1937 World’s Fair in Paris. These sheets were sold to support the Spanish Republic. Just love these.
Sueno y mentira de Franco, 1937
I could go on about this, as there was a lot more to see, but this is just a quick glimpse of the visit.
Next up was ‘Kunsthaus Zürich Museum’ Extension, done by David Chipperfield Architects, a stunning modernist building, which was inspired by the old cantonal school, built in 1842. It is filled with old masters and new artists, and here, too, there was a lot that I saw and loved, but couldn’t fit it all in.
Payal and I outside the ‘Kunsthaus Zurich’
Inside the Kunthaus
Modern, bright, and beautiful
Apart from the amazing art, what caught my eye was the stunning brass doors! I mean, how gorgeous are these? Wow!
Rebberge in Tessin (Vineyards in Ticini) by Swiss artist Albert Muller, 1925
This is the first time I have seen his paintings in real life and loved his colours and bold brushstrokes.
‘Thatches Cottages in Chaponval’, Vincent van Gogh, 1890
My all-time favourite Van Gogh. He was the one I was obsessed with when my art journey began. ‘Lust for Life’ by Irving Stone was a compelling book, and ‘Loving Vincent’, the animated film made with his paintings, was outstanding to say the least. If you haven’t seen it, please do!
Now, with the age of AI, these kinds of films may become common, but at the time they were taken, they were the first and truly exceptional.
‘Mondauf-Sonnenuntergang’ (Moonrise – Sunset), Paul Klee, 1919
‘Esperanza’ (Hope), Joan Miro, 1946
Which then took us out to Miro’s garden
The great thing about Museums abroad is looking at the demography of people visiting it and this captivating image.
Caught an elderly man who sat at the museum for hours sketching away.
I really wish we had more of it in India. With so much rich craft and culture in this country, it really is a shame that little is accessible to people, not just lovers of art. My plea with this blog is that we have much more of this, and that museums like MAP in Bangalore spring up much more widely! We do have tired Government museums dotted around the country, but we need more interaction with students who are not just students of the arts. Take them to visit these museums as part of the school routine.
I have yet to tour many myself, so stay tuned : )