Max Moos’s painting entitled “Aufschlüsselung” (1936; a play on the words “Schlüssel”, meaning “key”, and “aufschlüsseln”, to break down or decode) exerts an impact that is as enigmatic as it is fascinating. At its centre is a keyhole with a root-like entity winding its way out while two deformed keys push their way into the picture from its margins. But what actually lies behind the apparent door remains hidden.

This mysterious work forms the starting point for our eponymous exhibition devoted to Max von Moos (1903–1979), one of the most significant representatives of Swiss Surrealism. He occupies a central position in the collection of the Kunsthaus Zug – a collection that has now been further expanded thanks to generous donations from the Max von Moos-Stiftung and the collection of Peter Thali. Today, the Kunsthaus Zug owns groups of works from all of Moos’s creative phases, from his early drawings as a child to the works he made shortly before his death. Max von Moos’s famously sombre yet surprisingly cheerful oeuvre is “decoded” by being situated along a series of central topics. Our exhibition follows the recurring forms, motifs and themes in the artist’s work (in an act of formal decoding), situates them in the context of art history (historical decoding) and illuminates his constant process of selfquestioning by exhibiting numerous self-portraits (self-decoding). We are thereby able to open up new perspectives on a multi-layered œuvre – without, however, completely deciphering the secrets of his works.