Collection Abegg foundation, Art museum and research center in Riggisberg, Switzerland.
The Abegg Foundation is an art museum and research center in Riggisberg focused mainly on historical textiles, applied arts, and metalwork. The collections are housed in the former Abegg Villa, located near the Bernese Alps.
The foundation was established in 1961 and grew into a leading institution for textile conservation in Switzerland. From this beginning emerged a combination of museum exhibitions, specialized research, and educational programs that continues today.
The museum's name honours Werner and Margaret Abegg, who donated their combined private collections in 1961. The galleries are divided along two axes, Silk Road and Europe/Mediterranean, with objects arranged chronologically so visitors can compare the two cultural areas. A section at the back hosts temporary exhibitions, each documented by a substantial catalogue.
The museum sits at the edge of Riggisberg village, in the canton of Bern. The exhibition wing was rebuilt in 2009–2011 with a milk-glass ceiling holding thousands of LEDs that emit no UV light, so the textiles are lit without damage. The galleries are divided into two chronological axes, Silk Road and Europe/Mediterranean, with passages between them for comparing periods. The founders' villa can be visited on guided tours.
The foundation restored the two Zittau Lenten veils, large painted cloths, with detailed documentation. Its library holds over 60,000 volumes and 200 current journals. Since 2003 the founders' villa can be visited on guided tours, reopened in 2012 after renovation.
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