ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Swiss artists are finding a growing number of fans, as the May Swiss art sale at Christie’s yesterday showed: close to CHF8.55 million francs in art sold, with five world record prices set.

The auction house notes in a press release:

“Tonight’s sale revived the Swiss art market with international interest in a large group of works and buying from 4 continents, including a strong internet presence … [with a] new world auction record for Le Corbusier, selling one of his very few sculptures for more than 5 times its mid-estimate.  Further new world auction records were established for David Weiss (1946-2012) and Hans Berger (1882-1977), Hans Rudolf Giger (1940-2014) and Daniel Spoerri (1963-1979). The sale also offered the last part of the Maximilian Schell Estate, which was led by the unique view out of Varlin’s studio in Bondo, entitled Winter in Bondo above its high estimate.”

Five of five Felix Vallotan artworks were sold, marking the artist’s 150th anniversary, says Christie’s.

Martigny exhibit shows one man’s fine collection

Swiss art is pulling in crowds in Martigny, at the Gianadda Foundation, for its exhibit from the private collection of Bruno Stefanini, a 90-year-old from Winterthur who has been collecting for more than 50 years. The exhibit is entitled “Anke, Hodler, Vallotton…” and it runs until 14 June – don’t miss it. The show is organized by themes, with some extraordinary paintings and other art objects, including a dauntingly large and heavy piece of quartz that, I was told by the museum’s director, was quite a job to get into the exhibit hall.

Samples from a visit to the exhibit: