As part of my work at Swiss Post's art department, I played a key role in the development and coordination of the new art publication, which has been available since October 2024, and I am delighted with the result.
Swiss Post has played a key role in promoting and collecting contemporary art in Switzerland since 1924. The origins of this lie in the Federal Decree on the Promotion and Elevation of Swiss Art of 1887 and, in particular, the Ordinance on Federal Promotion of Swiss Art of 1924. Currently consisting of more than 450 works, Swiss Post’s art collection demonstrates a far-reaching commitment to art in Switzerland. Since 2020, this commitment has focused on three core initiatives: the art collection, art in architecture and Swiss Post’s partnership with “Art in the periphery” events.
To mark the 100th anniversary of its commitment to art, Swiss Post is presenting a book for the first time that offers the general public an insight into that commitment and into its collection in particular. The book features 100 artists, symbolizing 100 years of art promotion. Particular emphasis is placed on ten young artists under the age of 40, who are presented with portrait photos, biographies and descriptions of their works and provide insights into their worlds and works in short handwritten and illustrated interviews.
This book is intended to reflect not only the diversity of artistic creativity in Switzerland, but also the cultural diversity of the country. As such, the artists are represented in the language in which they communicate in Switzerland.
This compact and carefully designed volume provides an impressive illustration of the diversity and depth of the Swiss art scene.
The multilingual book “Unser Engagement für die Kunst: An insight nella collezione d'arte de La Poste Suisse” will be available from 10 October 2024 via postshop.ch, on the website of the publisher Scheidegger & Spiess and in selected bookstores.
Translations of all texts in four languages are also available free of charge as PDFs here.
Copyright Publication: Art Department, Swiss Post
Copyright Photo: © Lara Kroha, Scheidegger & Spiess
