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El Lissitzky and Switzerland

El Lissitzky and Switzerland

Edited by Carole Haensler

£35.00

Publishing 13th Oct 2025
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    • El Lissitzky is one of the most eminent protagonists of Soviet avant-garde and the legendary Vkhutemas art school
    • This is the first survey of El Lissitzky’s relationship to Switzerland and the reception of his work in this country
    • Highlights El Lissitzky’s significant influence on the evolution of New Typography and graphic design in Switzerland
    • Brings together for the first time all of Lissitzky’s important works held in the collections of Swiss museums, including parts of a previously unpublished portfolio
    Full Description

    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 its like-minded protagonists since 1919. In 1924–25, he spent several months at a sanatorium in the Swiss canton of Ticino to treat his pulmonary tuberculosis. Despite the illness, he created 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 in Switzerland. He also contributed to the Swiss architecture magazine ABC, Beiträge zum Bauen.

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all the important works by the great avant-gardist in the collections of Swiss museums, including parts of a previously unpublished portfolio held at the Musee d’art et d’histoire in Geneva.

    About the Author

    Carole Haensler is an art historian and curator and has been director of the Villa dei Cedri Museum in Bellinzona since 2013.

    Specifications
    Publisher
    Scheidegger & Spiess
    ISBN
    9783039422906
    Publish date
    13th Oct 2025
    Binding
    Hardback
    Territory
    World excluding Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, Puerto Rico, United States, Canada, and Japan
    Size
    265 mm x 210 mm
    Pages
    160 Pages
    Illustrations
    70 colour, 25 b&w
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