Swiss artists

For a small country, Switzerland has produced many talented artists known throughout the world and who have truly marked the history of art. Here are a few of them ...

Sophie Taeuber-Arp, was a Swiss artist who belonged to the Dada movement, an intellectual, literary and artistic movement that was created in Zurich around 1916 and aimed to challenge ideological, aesthetic and political conventions. Meret Oppenhiemer worked in the context of the Surrealist movement, creating many surrealist objects, including Le Déjeuner en Fourrure, a cup, saucer and a spoon covered with fur. There is also Alberto Giacometti, an important sculptor of the 20th century known for his elongated cast bronze figures. In 2010, his work The Man Who Walks I (1960) becomes the most expensive sculpture in the world when it was sold for $ 92.5 million by Sotheby's. Jean Tinguely is also a sculptor but he approaches the medium very differently. The artist's main interest was the relationship between art and mechanics, which lead him to create artworks animated by motors. Tinguely creates sculptures that can draw by themselves, which he calls the Meta-Matics.

Today the contemporary Swiss art scene is just as interesting as it was in the past. Indeed, to emphasise the importance of the growing contemporary art scene in Switzerland, Art Paris Art Fair has elected the country as the "guest of honour" for its 2018 edition.

On Artsper you'll find many contemporary Swiss artists. There is the famous Mr. Chat, dreamed up by the artist Thoma Vuille. It is the all too recognisable smiling yellow cat which first appeared first on inaccessible walls in French city but can now be found on canvas and even in the form of sculptures. You'll also discover Roman Signer, who works in various mediums, but who became best known for his performances with an often a humorous tone that he captures through video or photography. In this selection you'll find many more Swiss contemporary artists that you absolutely need to know!