Art Exhibition 2026

Otto Nebel - Colour, Language, Form

19 June to 18 October 2026

“I want to convey light, not recollected visual impressions.”
Otto Nebel, diary, 31 December 1929

Otto Nebel (1892–1973) was both painter and poet, and throughout his work, word and image remained inseparably linked. Emerging from the circle of Berlin’s Sturm movement, he first came to prominence as a writer. During his time in detention as a prisoner of war in England, he wrote Zuginsfeld in 1919, an Expressionist anti-war poem. He later developed the Runenfugen, a form of verbal art based on rhythm, repetition and sound, whose underlying principles also shaped his painting.

In 1933, Nebel was forced to leave Germany and settled in Bern with his wife Hildegard. Amid difficult living conditions, his artistic work became a source of sustenance for him. 

Nebel shared a deep intellectual affinity with fellow artists Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. His travels to Italy shaped his exploration of colour and light, which he distilled into “architectural concepts.” These Italian images and cathedral paintings led him towards a distinctive visual language poised between perception and abstraction. In his later works, colour, form and
sign merged into a poetic unity.

This exhibition invites visitors to rediscover Otto Nebel as an independent artist of striking originality and remarkable versatility.

An exhibition organised by the Spiez Castle Foundation in collaboration with the Otto Nebel Foundation, Berne

Loans
Otto Nebel Foundation, Berne
Kunstmuseum Bern
Kunstmuseum Thun
The Leir Foundation

Supporters and donnors
Point de Vue Foundation, Förderverein “Freunde Schloss Spiez”, Otto Nebel Foundation Berne, Vinetum Foundation, VIVA Thunersee and others who wish to remain anonymous.

Opening hours
Monday 2 – 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday 10am – 5pm
July and August until 6pm

Admission fees
Art exhibition and castle museum
Adults CHF 16.–
Reduced rates CHF 14.–
Free admission: Swiss Museum Pass, Raiffeisen (Member Plus), Swiss Travel Pass