Hallen für Neue Kunst in Schaffhausen Switzerland has been the highlight of my annual European trip this past summer. I have been thinking of going there for a few years but have not been able to fit it into my previous itineraries until this year. My anticipation was met with total satisfaction. Owning and showing large-scale works by
Carl Andre,
Joseph Beuys,
Dan Flavin,
Donald Judd,
Jannis Kounellis,
Sol LeWitt,
Richard Long,
Robert Mangold,
Mario Merz,
Bruce Nauman,
Robert Ryman and
Lawrence Weiner, the Hallen's collection of
minimalist/
conceptual contemporary art is among the most prominent in the world.
Robert Mangold's paintings are what I found the most impressive at the Hallen. His use of simple forms with mathematical clarity, though quiet and restrained on the surface, is articulate and powerful. I rank Mangold as high as
Max Bill among all favourite artists of mine.
