El Lissitzky and Switzerland

Examines the work of El Lissitzky in the context of his time spent in Switzerland.

El Lissitzky (1890–1941), one of the most eminent figures of Soviet avant-garde art, had been in contact with the Swiss art scene and with its like-minded protagonists since 1919. In 1924–25, he spent several months in the Swiss canton of Ticino to treat his pulmonary tuberculosis. Despite the illness, he produced key works in his oeuvre during this time, spanning fields of architecture, graphic design and typography, and fine art. Together with Jean Arp, he wrote the book Die Kunstismen (“The Artisms”), which was published by a Swiss publishing house in 1925 and became a milestone in the evolution of new typography and graphic art. He also contributed to ABC, Beiträge zum Bauen, a cutting-edge Swiss architecture magazine of the time.

A century later, El Lissitzky and Switzerland takes a fresh look at El Lissitzky from the perspective of his host country, arranged in thematic chapters about architecture, typography, and graphic design, Lissitzky as an artist and theorist, and his relationship with Switzerland. The illustrations bring together for the first time all the major works by the great avant-gardist held in the collections of Swiss museums, including parts of a previously unpublished portfolio held at the Musée d’art et d’histoire in Geneva.

Carole Haensler is an art historian and curator and director of the Museo Villa dei Cedri in Bellinzona, Switzerland.