Exhibition "Looking for Lissitzky. El Lissitzky e la Svizzera (1919-1929)" - Museo Villa dei Cedri

The nineteen-twenties were a turning point for the Soviet artist El Lissitzky (1890-1941), aleading figure of the Russian avant-garde movement. In 1919-1920, he taught at the People’s Art School in Vitebsk, which had been founded and was then directed by Marc Chagall (1887- 1985). His encounter with his colleague Kazimir Malevich (1879-1935), whose suprematist theories he later translated into German, determined his shift towards abstract art. Between 1924 and 1925, Lissitzky spent time in Locarno and Ambrì undergoing medical treatment. These months proved to be a period of intense experimentation and artistic production, during which he created some of his most iconic works: the famous Self-Portrait (The Constructor), extensive advertising campaigns for the German company Pelikan, and visionary architectonic projects such as the Lenin Tribune and the Wolkenbügel – the latter uniting the concept of urban planning with that of a skyscraper. Working with Jean/Hans Arp (1886-1966), he also published The Isms of Art 1924-1914 that sets out an unprecedented survey of European avant-garde movements, establishing itself as a milestone in the history of modern art. In his oeuvre, El Lissitzky fused art, architecture and graphic design, taking on a pioneering and innovative role.

With a section curated by the Graphische Sammlung ETH Zurich that documents the lasting impact of Lissitzky on Swiss artists.