The Rupp Report

Usually, the Rupp Report is not the forum for advertising or promoting any kind of events that are not directly related to its readers. For this Rupp Report, the author made an exception: It's about the famous Abegg Foundation in Riggisberg, at Lake Thun in the Swiss Bernese Oberland.Many readers of the Rupp Report are travelers, and most probably, globetrotters. Some of them travel for weeks at a time. And in some weeks, some of them come to Switzerland for business or leisure. And if these people are not driving their own car, they rent a car at the airport to be flexible for their business trip. And sometimes, these business people sit bored in a hotel room and have some spare time.
And all these people have something in common: they are working with textiles. So here is an idea for a trip outside the beaten path of business.Usually, all these business people are dealing with the most advanced technologies, from fibers to ready-made garments. Rarely, somebody asks about the background or the history of textiles. Many of the these people like to visit museums and galleries. In general, these museums exhibit all kinds of art including sculptures, paintings, antiques, and such. But how many museums exist that exhibit old textiles? Not many, the Rupp Report supposes, and not many people know that textiles were already being produced 5,000 years ago. However, for interested parties, here is a place in Switzerland where one can learn about and see old textiles:In December 1961, Werner and Margaret Abegg founded the Abegg Foundation after long private collection activities. Their interest and commitment from the start was focused on the research and preservation of old textiles.
The foundation consequently had five main tasks:to establish a comprehensive collection of woven textiles, starting with the Abeggs' private collection;to create a museum featuring fine and applied artworks from antiquity through the Baroque period and to present annually changing special exhibitions featuring works from the textile collection's sophisticated and rich resources;to offer a textile conservation and restoration program, and implement and operate a college-level degree program for the training and education of future professionals;to fund a public scientific library with an online catalog with the main focus on applied arts, textile arts and conservation; andto promote a scientific exchange in the textile arts sector through the establishment of a research institute, organization of conferences and publication of relevant materials.Abegg is a very famous family name in the Zurich area. The Abegg family members worked mostly in textiles, and even more in the silk trade, which had its main actors in Zurich. Werner Abegg, a Swiss textile industrialist, was born Dec. 9, 1903, and passed away on July 13, 1984. In 1924, Abegg took the lead over the family-owned textile factory in Northern Italy. His implemented modernizations in the mill were a great success and generated considerable wealth. In 1947, the company was sold, and Abegg moved to New York City for some time.