Van Gogh, Renoir and Gauguin at Castello del Sole!

For the Castello del Sole, boasting illustrious and world-famous guests is certainly not a novelty, indeed those who will soon make their entrance into the prestigious Ascona hotel will be truly blown away: they are Vincent van Gogh, Auguste Renoir and Paul Gauguin. The three great masters of world Impressionism will be represented by as many of their works, which will not only be kept in the halls of the five-star hotel, but will also be freely accessible to the public during the four Sundays of September.

The extraordinary event is proposed on the occasion of the ninety years of Terreni alla Maggia, the farm located on the Locarno delta, next to which the hotel was also built. The creator of the operation was the German entrepreneur, naturalised Swiss, Emil Bührle and the three masterpieces that will be exhibited in Ascona belong to his art collection. An opportunity not to be missed.

A tribute to Ticino

The Bührle family, today represented by Emil’s nephew, Gratian Anda, has always remained very close to Ticino. It is with this spirit that it was decided to organise the Ascona event. ‘I invite everyone - says Anda himself - to come and admire these three masterpieces that are very rarely accessible to the public. I am thinking of passing tourists, but also - and above all - of the local population, whom we will be happy to welcome at the Castello del Sole’.

Between stellar art and history

The occasion will be truly tempting, considering the value of the works in question. Renoir’s The Reapers for example, was created in 1873 for the first Impressionist exhibition staged in Paris in 1874. The event that revealed the new art movement to the world and which, according to many, literally changed the history of ‘modern Art. And what about Gaugin’s Fattoria in Bretagne, known - as well as for its artistic value - also for being included in the exhibition with which, in 1929, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) in New York was inaugurated ? The work conceived in France already presents the characteristics of what would have been the next style of the painter, materialised in the paintings painted in Tahiti in the following years. The triptych of exceptional masterpieces that can be admired at the Castello del Sole closes with the Apricot trees in bloom made in 1888 by Vincent van Gogh, in the spring following his arrival in Arles, Provence, where the master had come to find new inspiration. Van Gogh is an author particularly loved by Emil Bührle, whose collection also owns the well-known The Sower. The purchase of the Apricot trees, in 1939, consoled the entrepreneur from the fact that he was unable to make his own a self-portrait of the Dutch painter during an auction that had taken place a few days earlier. whose collection also owns the well-known Il Sematore. The purchase of the Apricot trees, in 1939, consoled the entrepreneur from the fact that he was unable to make his own self-portrait of the Dutch painter during an auction that had taken place a few days earlier. whose collection also owns the well-known Il Sematore. The purchase of the Apricot trees, in 1939, consoled the entrepreneur from the fact that he was unable to make his own a self-portrait of the Dutch painter during an auction that had taken place a few days earlier.

Sundays in September

The three prestigious works can, as mentioned, also be admired for free by the public during the next four Sundays in September, between 2pm and 6pm. For organisational reasons, however, it is necessary to register for the event. It is possible to do this through the website https://www.terreniallamaggia.ch/en The meeting point for visits will be the farm, which celebrates its 90th anniversary (see also box above), in via Muraccio 111 in Ascona.

Ninety years of respect for the earth

Ensuring food security for the country during the Second World War. With this aim in mind, Emil Bührle bought the Terreni alla Maggia farm in 1941. Cultivation in the Locarno delta dates back to 1930, with a philosophy that has always remained the same: respect for the land. Since then, the business has diversified greatly, combining with that of the adjacent 5-star hotel.