New Acquisition for the Collection of the Art Museum St. Gallen
06.03.2026 | from Art Museum St. Gallen
Reading time: 2 minutes
Image rights: Kunstmuseum St.Gallen
06.03.2026, The Art Museum St. Gallen announces the purchase of the work La propag andiste idiote (1965) by Jacqueline de Jong through the Pippy Houldsworth Gallery in London. The acquisition was made in conjunction with the current exhibition Jacqueline de Jong. Disobedience, on view until 22 March 2026 at the Art Museum St. Gallen.
La propag andiste idiote (1965) marks a decisive moment in the early artistic development of Jacqueline de Jong, where her expressionist, figurative language – infused with scenes of violence, sexuality, and political unrest – fully emerges. The oil on canvas work (115 × 72 cm) belongs to the Accidental series and depicts a chaotic demonstration where distorted, creature-like figures wield batons and knives; their bodies are fragmented across a turbulent visual field.
Similar to the socially critical paintings of George Grosz and Otto Dix from the 1920s, De Jong's composition exposes the grotesque undercurrents of power, ideology, and mass manipulation. However, here propaganda manifests in a female figure, making traditional gendered portrayals of authority and victimhood more complex. Her deep dichromatic color palette – both seductive and harsh – lends an unsettling, disturbing beauty to the scene.
With this acquisition, the Art Museum St. Gallen reaffirms its commitment to post-war radical figuration while honoring an artist whose uncompromising vision addresses the entanglements of politics, violence, and desire with penetrating clarity.
For more information about the exhibition and the publication – published by JRP
Editions – please visit:
https://kunstmuseumsg.ch/unser-programm/aktuelle-ausstellungen/jacqueline-de-jong https://kunstmuseumsg.ch/kunstmuseum/shop/publikationen
Press contact:
kommunikation@kunstmuseumsg.ch
Nadine Sakotic
Art Museum St. Gallen, Head of Communications
T +41 71 242 06 84
www.kunstmuseumsg.ch
Editor's note: Image rights belong to the respective publisher. Image rights: Kunstmuseum St.Gallen
Conclusion of this article: « New Acquisition for the Collection of the Art Museum St. Gallen »
Art Museum St. Gallen
The Art Museum St. Gallen enjoys an international reputation with its attractive rotating exhibitions of contemporary and modern art.
As a treasure house of Eastern Switzerland, the museum houses a rich collection of paintings and sculptures from the late Middle Ages to the present day, displayed in a permanent exhibition. The building, designed in the neoclassical style by Johann Christoph Kunkler in 1877, invites visitors to stroll through art from past to present.
Old and new in dialogue enable a varied cultural experience where international temporary exhibitions can be experienced, or masterpieces of the past meet outstanding representatives of contemporary art!
Thanks to comprehensive art education, the Art Museum St. Gallen is an attractive place for encounters with art of yesterday and today! The art zone in the Lokremise, the museum's second 'venue,' serves as a cultural laboratory for contemporary art.
The immediate proximity to Kinok and Dance/Theatre opens up fascinating content synergies, while the raw character of the interior allows for process-oriented exhibitions and artist-in-residence projects.
Note: The "About Us" text is taken from public sources or from the company profile on HELP.ch.
Source: Art Museum St. Gallen, Press release
Original article published on: Neuerwerbung für die Sammlung des Kunstmuseums St.Gallen