Unique proximity to Ticino

People from northern Switzerland love Ticino. Particularly in recent days, the country has become painfully aware of what it’s like when one of the main transport routes to the Italian-speaking canton is cut off. Ticino is associated with romantic images of nature, grottos and countryfolk of a much cheerier disposition than those north of the Alps – in short, Italianità, a sort of Italian lifestyle with a Swiss flavour. It’s no wonder that, over the centuries, a whole series of artists have fallen under the canton’s spell. For their part, the people of Ticino are known for having a voracious interest in a wide variety of art forms. This is therefore an extraordinary opportunity to show off the treasures that ETH Zurich has amassed over the years, as the University has been collecting prints and drawings – including for study and teaching purposes – since 1867. Now, the Graphische Sammlung is rising to the occasion with not one but two very different exhibitions.

Ticino comes to visit ETH…

In the ETH Main Building, the Graphische Sammlung is presenting selected pieces from its collection of works in and around the canton of Ticino from the 17th century to the present day. Ticino is not only explored as a subject – in depictions of the countryside, for example – but also contemplated as a cultural space that is at once very much part of Switzerland and slightly different from the rest of the country. For example, Giovanni Bianconi’s The Joke depicts the cheerful atmosphere of a tavern. In addition to works from well-known names such as Mario Botta (*1943), the exhibition is also an opportunity to discover pieces by Ticinese artists who are less famous on this side of the Alps, such as Mariarosa Mutti (*1952) and Anita Spinelli (1908–2010). The exhibition has been open since 23 August and will remain freely accessible during Scientifica and Zurich’s Long Night of Museums on 2 September 2023.

…and ETH goes to visit Ticino

On the other side of the Gotthard Pass, ETH Zurich presents a unique exhibition featuring 300 of the masterpieces in its collection, which is one of the largest of its kind in Switzerland – comprising some 160,000 works of art. From 10 September, the famous – and, incidentally, splendidly situated – Museo d’arte della Svizzera italiana (MASI Lugano) will be showing the exhibition “From Albrecht Dürer to Andy Warhol. Masterpieces from the Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich”. The name says it all: along with works from the artists already mentioned, visitors will be able to enjoy pieces from Rembrandt van Rijn, Francisco de Goya, Maria Sibylla Merian, Egon Schiele and Käthe Kollwitz as well as from contemporary artists such as, Miriam Cahn, John M Armleder Shirana Shahbazi, and many more.

The exhibition not only examines a broad spectrum of graphic techniques – from woodcut to copperplate engraving, etching and screen printing – but also showcases freehand drawings, photographs and multiples. Moreover, it provides all kinds of background information and curiosities – with a focus on establishing a link between art, science, ETH Zurich and the beloved canton in the south.