Swiss Carnival and Indian Rituals

Under the title “Performing Masks”, two mask collections are now being exhibited at the Museum Rietberg : ritual masks from southern India and carnival masks from Switzerland.

A presentation of two mask collections that could not be more different 

The Museum Rietberg is famous for its collection of rare and valuable masks from all over the world. Under the title “Performing Masks”, two mask collections are now being exhibited: ritual masks from southern India and Carnival masks from Switzerland. 

The latter are part of one of the oldest collections in the museum. It is more than forty years since all the Swiss masks were exhibited together and now this important part of the museum’s permanent collection is on display again. The Indian ritual masks, on the other hand, have only been acquired recently. In a special exhibition they are being shown to the public for the first time.

When masks dance
Novartis Gallery / 17 May until 18 October 2009 

In Tulunadu, a rural coastal region in southern India which encompasses parts of the states of Karnataka and Kerala, people have been worshipping Butas, local gods, protective spirits and heroes for many centuries. 

In 2007 the Museum Rietberg received a gift of more than fifty Buta masks and sculptures from Heidi and Hans Kaufmann. Thanks to this gift a special exhibition can be dedicated to the underexplored theme of “folk art“. The artefacts which represent Butas are produced to this day and still used in rituals. None of those on display are more than a hundred years old. 

These Buta masks belong to the Hindu folk religion which differs from Brahmin Hinduism in its gods and practices. Particularly spectacular are the large Buta animal masks such as the mask of the buffalo demon Maisandaye, the tiger Pillichamundi or the wild boar Panjurli. The exhibition also shows the complete "costume" of a performer: the huge, elaborate headgear, often several metres in height, attached to the performer’s back, the symbols of the god such as a bell or sword, and the beautiful decorations on the head and arms. Fascinating field photos and a documentary film trace the production and use of the masks and convey a powerful impression of this ritual theatre tradition which has remained alive in southern India to this day.

Carnival masks from Switzerland
Villa Wesendonck /  from 17 May 2009 

The Museum Rietberg possesses the most important collection of old Swiss masks in the world. All of the masks here have been much used and they thus provide a valuable testimony to Swiss folk traditions. Part of the museum’s permanent collection, but not on display for some time, the masks are now being exhibited again. Among the most important places in Switzerland for carnivals are Sarganserland in the Canton of St Gallen, Central Switzerland, and the Lötsch Valley in the Canton of Wallis. They all have their own mask traditions. 

This extraordinary collection of masks has not been on display in its entirety for more than 40 years. Now it is an integral part of the permanent collection.