Museum Wilhelm Schmid

The museum dedicated to Wilhelm Schmid (1892-1971), located in the charming village of Brè, is situated in the house where the painter used to live.

Schmid was a prominent figure in the artistic movements characterizing Berlin in the early 1900s. One of the founders of the Novembergruppe in 1918, the artist is considered the foremost Swiss representative of the New Objectivity and Northern European Magical Realism. In 1937, after his work was deemed degenerate by the Nazis, he returned to Switzerland and settled permanently in Brè, where he lived in seclusion until 1971. Following a testamentary provision by his wife Maria, their residence in Brè and over a thousand paintings and drawings became the property of the City of Lugano.

The museum's exhibition, entirely reimagined in 2021 for the 50th anniversary of the painter's death, chronicles the key moments in Schmid's artistic evolution. It includes a selection of paintings, architectural projects, ceramics, photographs, as well as some furniture and murals created by the artist. The collection constitutes the most extensive and qualitatively prestigious body of work from his career.

For the 2026 season opening, the permanent exhibition is enriched by a temporary exhibition dedicated to the artist Mariapia Borgnini. It forms part of the series of solo exhibitions at the Schmid Museum in Brè, devoted to artists whose works contribute to the artistic character of the village’s historic center. For this exhibition, Mariapia Borgnini presents a project entitled The Blue Sky Does Not Doubt Its Blue, developed in response to the evocative setting of the museum: the small village of Brè, perched atop the mountain of the same name. The panoramic views enjoyed from the museum galleries, together with the iconic image of the mountain and the lake, inspired the theme of the exhibition, to which all the works on display are connected.

Notes

• Outside the period and times indicated, the museum can be visited by appointment. For further information, please call +41 58 866 42 93

Opening

• 04.10.2026 – 25.10.2026

Accessibility Services

This cultural/tourist point of interest took part in the digital data mapping project on accessibility by Pro Infirmis. The project was carried out with the collaboration and support of Ticino Turismo, the four regional tourist organisations and the Department of Education, Culture and Sport.

All information on the accessibility of the partner in question can be found on the following page.