The Local Switzerland

How women artists are bringing #MeToo reckoning to Basel fair

Thu, 13 Jun 2019 17:04:11 +0200

Mannequins display inflatable, white airbag dresses created to protect women from workplace harassment, while nearby details of the alleged sexual misdeeds of 170 public figures cover four long walls, splashed in red.

Swiss competition gives winner Picasso painting for a day

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 18:23:42 +0100

For most of us, the closest we will ever come to having a Picasso in our house is a print, a fridge magnet or perhaps a novelty mug.

How Switzerland is shedding light on art gifts with possible Nazi ties

Mon, 07 Jan 2019 07:41:01 +0100

When Georges F. Keller began donating paintings by masters like Henri Matisse and Salvador Dali to the Kunstmuseum in Bern his reputation was not in doubt.

Hip hop legend Chuck D paints Swiss city of Basel

Wed, 11 Jul 2018 14:07:01 +0200

A key figure in the history of rap music, Public Enemy front man Chuck D is also a talented artist.

Is huge Art Basel event killing off small galleries?

Thu, 14 Jun 2018 15:31:46 +0200

As wealthy VIPs filtered into Art Basel's imposing halls to view some of the most valuable works in contemporary art, the staff at Frame Art Fair were a kilometre away scrubbing floors.

How Zurich finally made peace with its very own Banksy

Wed, 30 May 2018 18:47:03 +0200

In the late 1970s mysterious paintings started appearing on walls around Zurich: created under the cover of darkness they were the work of an anonymous artist who would become known internationally as the "sprayer of Zurich".

Swiss resort unveils huge ‘natural’ fresco on mountain

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 12:53:17 +0200

The giant image of a shepherd reclining on the grass will greet visitors to the mountain station of la Berneuse above the village of Leysin in the Vaud alps over the next three weeks.

Collector leaves million euro artwork on TGV

Mon, 01 Dec 2014 13:22:00 +0100

How could you possibly leave a 13th century work of art worth €1 million on the train? Well that's exactly what happened to an Italian art collector on a Paris to Geneva TGV train.

Geneva lab sleuths help art world uncover fakes

Wed, 08 Oct 2014 10:23:00 +0200

Dressed in an immaculate white lab coat, Sandra Mottaz stares intently through a stereo microscope at a bold-coloured painting purportedly by French master Fernand Léger, searching for signs of forgery.

Warhol thief gets 18 months

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 13:26:02 +0200

A 29-year-old heating engineer is set to spend 18 months in prison after stealing ten original Andy Warhol paintings from a residence in Thalwil, canton Zurich.