Our Danaïde symbolises the Kunst Museum Winterthur’s bold decision to embrace abstract art. My name is Andrea Lutz; I work at the Kunst Museum Winterthur as a curator and head of collections.

In May 2026, a Danaïde was sold at Christie’s New York for over 100 million dollars. One version of this Danaïde – there are, in fact, six versions in total – is held here at the Kunst Museum Winterthur. The price is interesting and spectacular, but as an art historian, I am far more fascinated by the history of the artwork and the artwork itself.

In 1951, the museum’s then conservator, Hans Keller, had the Danaïde brought from London to Winterthur and recommended its purchase to the board. Particularly interesting is the debate it sparked. Up until then, there had been no abstract art in our museum. Opinions were divided: some found the artwork expressive, beautiful and sensitive. To others, it was a car radiator ornament or a meaningless egg. Nevertheless, the sculpture was purchased at the time by a narrow majority – for 6,000 francs. Compared to today’s record prices, that is almost modest, but for its time it was still a large sum – even for the Winterthur Art Society.