Sculptures
Select your Region:
Basel/Basel (Basel Region)
Tinguely Fountain
In the place where the stage of the old Town Theater formerly stood, Jean Tinguely placed in 1977 some amusing machine sculptures in an enormous pool of water.
Basel/Basel (Basel Region)
Rhine Harbor/ Dreiländereck
At the beginning of the 20th Century, freight transport on the Rhine - as far upstream as Basel - was successfully developed at the initiative of Rudolf Gelpke (1873-1940).
Basel/Basel (Basel Region)
Messeturm
The Messeturm, with a height of 105 meters, is a new symbol of the city of Basel.
Sargans / Walenstadtberg/Sargans (Eastern Switzerland / Liechtenstein)
Paxmal Walenstadtberg
On Schrina-Hochrugg (1300 m.a.s.l.) above Walenstadtberg you will find a temple-like monument with larger than life mosaic pictures.
Montreux-Vevey/Montreux - Vevey (Lake Geneva Region)
Winterthur/Winterthur (Zurich (Region))
Town Church
The town church is the landmark of Winterthurs Old Town.The church was first documented in 1180. After it was burnt down in 1244, it was rebuilt. The interior is home to a striking Baroque organ from the 18th century and enormous frescoes by the Bernese painter Paul Zehnder.
Basel/Basel (Basel Region)
Helvetia
Meet Helvetia, the allegorical female figure who has symbolised Switzerland for hundreds of years. She sits at the end of the Middle Bridge on the Kleinbasel side, gazing thoughtfully down at the Rhine, with her suitcase packed and her spear resting at her side.
Basel/Basel (Basel Region)
Tinguely-Fountain
In 1977, Jean Tinguely created with his playful machine sculptures - which is placed in a large water basin - a new landmark for the city .
Basel/Basel (Basel Region)
Hammering Man
Visit the most hard-working man in Basel, the Hammering Man on the Aeschenplatz. This 13.5 m high artwork by the American sculptor Borofsky has been swinging his hammer since 1989. The Hammering Man is 15 centimetres thick and weighs nearly 8 tonnes.
Basel/Basel (Basel Region)
Intersection
The massive iron sculpture "Intersection" consists of four steel plates 3.6 m high and stands in the Theaterplatz with the Elisabethenkirche in the background.
Basel/Basel (Basel Region)
Bürger von Calais
At the entrance to Switzerland's most important art collection, you will be greeted by Rodin's Burghers of Calais. In the inner courtyard of the Museum of Art there is also the modern Bistro Coumou.
Bern/Bern (Schweizer Mittelland)
Eleven Fountains
Until a hundred years ago, the public fountain played a very important role in the life of the city since it was the place of the central water supply. The incomparably beautiful sight of the medieval streets would be incomplete without the numerous fountains whose colorful figures and columns enliven the grey monotony of the long-stretched rows of facades.
Bern/Bern (Schweizer Mittelland)
Oppenheim Turmbrunnen (Oppenheim Tower Fountain)
The Oppenheim fountain is situated on Bern’s Waisenhausplatz and was created by the artist Meret Oppenheim. It was set into operation in 1983. Symbolising growth and life, it comprises an eight-metre high concrete column, down which water flows in a spiral.
Bern/Bern (Schweizer Mittelland)
When the international prizes were being awarded by the Universal Postal Union in 1903/04, René de St. Marceaux (Paris) won 1st prize. His design was cast in bronze in 1908 and unveiled in the Kleine Schanze park on 4 October 1909.
Bern/Bern (Schweizer Mittelland)
The main porch, which survived the Reformation, leads into Bern's cathedral. It was extensively restored in the years leading up to 1991 and shows the Last Judgment in a highly figurative representation of the saved and the damned.
Biel/Bienne/Biel / Bienne (Schweizer Mittelland)
Chur/Chur (Graubünden)
Benedikt Fontana
The bronze Fontana memorial dates from the year 1903 and is in memory of Captain Benedikt Fontana. He died in 1499 during the Swabian War at the battle of Calven, allegedly a martyr's death, before the Graubünden army put the Habsburgs to flight.
Chur/Chur (Graubünden)
Gerüst der Grenzen
In the "Gerüst der Grenzen" (Framework of Borders) light sculpture, the borders of Switzerland (in red) and those of the canton of Graubünden (in blue) are superimposed on one another. This layering of the borders creates a special border world. Playing with such border lines emphasises the chance nature of their positioning in a historical context and in today's more island-like reality.
Fribourg/Fribourg (Fribourg Region)
Jean Tinguely Fountain
The fountain is in a park and is dedicated to the famous Formula 1 racing driver Jo Siffert. Approximately thirty works of art are displayed in the open air and are listed in a guide suggesting an original tour of the town (pieces by Stämpfli, Serra, Lüginbühl...).
Fribourg/Fribourg (Fribourg Region)
'La Lune' (the Moon) by Niki de Saint Phalle
A colourful and original piece of art in the garden of the Art and History Museum (there are 4 other pieces in the garden).
Genève/Genève (Geneva (Region))
Broken Chair
This monumental sculpture (12 metres high) was installed in the Place des Nations in August 1997, and is an appeal from the humanitarian organisation Handicap International, urging all nations to sign the Ottowa treaty (for the banning of landmines) immediately.
Genève/Genève (Geneva (Region))
"L'Adolescent et le Cheval"
Schwarz tried to create intense visual experiences with his art. In this work he celebrates the relationship between youth and nature.
Genève/Genève (Geneva (Region))
Henry Moore Sculpture: "Reclining Figure: Arch Leg"
Influenced by cubism and then surrealism, the English sculptor always remained faithful to his humanist conception of art.
Genève/Genève (Geneva (Region))
Bronze Figures - Gérald Ducimetière
The figures were moulded in 1982, to represent real characters taken from figures seen in an old photograph of the square.
Genève/Genève (Geneva (Region))
Brunswick Monument
A mausoleum, built by the people of Geneva in 1879 after a considerable sum of money was bequeathed to them by Duke Charles II of Brunswick. It is an exact reproduction of the 14th century Scaglieri family tomb in Verona, Italy.
La Chaux-de-Fonds/La Chaux-de-Fonds (Neuchâtel / Jura / Bernese Jura)
Le Modulor
This sculpture is a tribute to the system of proportions expanded by Le Corbusier, based on the golden section and the dimensions of the human body.
La Chaux-de-Fonds/La Chaux-de-Fonds (Neuchâtel / Jura / Bernese Jura)
Monumental Fountain
Built in 1888, this was the first decorative monument in la Chaux-de-Fonds and celebrated the arrival of running water to the town.
Lausanne/Lausanne (Lake Geneva Region)
Ouverture au Monde
This stainless steel sculpture is well-known throughout Lausanne and is the work of the internationally-recognised artist Ángel Duarte. It was a gift from Rotary International to the Town of Lausanne on the occasion of its worldwide meeting. The piece was originally placed in the "Comptoir Suisse" Gardens in Beaulieu, before being transferred to the Osche pier in Ouchy. "Ouverture au Monde" consists of 6 semi-hyperboloids, constructed with the help of 36 diamond-shaped panels.
Lausanne/Lausanne (Lake Geneva Region)
Palud Fountain
The basin of this prestigious fountain dates back to 1557 and the Justice statue dates back to 1585 (this is a copy). Along with the town hall, it has witnessed the growth of the town through the years.
Lugano/Lugano (Ticino)
Obelisk Monument
Monument (Obelisk from the 16th century) in memory of the battle between the "Volontari Luganesi" and the "Cisalpini" in February 1798.
Luzern/Luzern (Central Switzerland)
Lion's Monument
It is one of the world's most famous monuments. It was hewn out of the natural rock in memory of the Swiss heroes fallen who died in the Tuileries. The American author Mark Twain elevated this lion to one of the saddest and most moving piece of stone sculpture in the world.
Luzern/Luzern (Central Switzerland)
Zeitgeist auf Torbogen
Zeitgeist at the gateway. The present station in Lucerne was opened in 1991, after the old building had been destroyed in a major fire exactly 20 years previously. The main entrance to the old station survived the fire and now stands as an imposing gateway in the middle of the station forecourt. On top of the arch is a statue by the Swiss sculptor Richard Kissling. It is called "Zeitgeist".
Luzern/Luzern (Central Switzerland)
Fritschibrunnen
The Fritschi fountain was erected in 1918 in place of an older fountain, not dedicated to Fritschi, and was based on plans by the archivist of the Safran guild, August am Rhyn. On the column of the fountain are splendid masks of Fritschi and his wife and the faces of the nursemaid and the servant. Four fools' masks spew water from goats' horns into the hexagonal trough. The column of the fountain bears the statue of a standard-bearer.
Martigny/Martigny (Valais)
Montreux-Vevey/Montreux (Lake Geneva Region)
Charlie Chaplin
A lot of famous personalities have lived at the Swiss Riviera. Charlie Chaplin and his family lived for many years in their discreet residence above Vevey, the “Manoir de Ban”. Sir Charles and his wife, Lady Oona, lie and rest today in the cemetery of Corsier. A statue has been established to his honour, at the shores of the lake in Vevey, facing the lake.
Montreux-Vevey/Montreux (Lake Geneva Region)
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury and his group Queen came first to Montreux to register their first album « Jazz » and to buy the record studio “Mountain Studio”. The singer of Queen fell in love with this region and he bought an apartment in Montreux, where he passed the last years of his life. At his honour, a statue has been built at the lake side in Montreux.
Neuchâtel/Neuchâtel (Neuchâtel / Jura / Bernese Jura)
Esplanade du Mont-Blanc
The Esplanade is dominated by the monumental sculpture by the Swiss artist René Küng. This forms an ensemble along with other works of art including "le Chevalier".
Neuchâtel/Neuchâtel (Neuchâtel / Jura / Bernese Jura)
Esplanade Léopold-Robert
Sculpture exhibition area for the Kunsthistorische Museum. The underlying theme is the portrayal of the human face in various expressive forms in the art of the 20th century.
Neuchâtel/Neuchâtel (Neuchâtel / Jura / Bernese Jura)
Time Trail
Along a 4.5 km long footpath you can trace the development of life on earth. On a scale where one large footstep corresponds to a million years, you can discover what the various life forms on our earth looked like, through 17 wooden carvings and an informative noticeboard.
Sion-Sierre/Sierre (Valais)
St.Gallen/St.Gallen - Bodensee (Eastern Switzerland / Liechtenstein)
Fountains and scuptures
City Park with "Magician's'Fountain," built by Max Oertli. On the opposite side is "The Trunk" by Richard Sierra. Art works by Roman Signer, such as the fountain "The Barrel", the Upper Moat, sculpture around the University of St.Gallen, among others.
Thun/Thun (Bernese Oberland)
Winterthur/Winterthur (Zurich (Region))
Max Bill Garden
The Max Bill Garden with is pavilion sculpture is small, but it is a veritable gem. It was built in 1997 in conjunction with the new building of the operation center of the municipal electric power plant. The pavilion sculpture was designed in 1994 by Max Bill and built in 1997 from Italian granite. The surroundings - with the exception of the trees - were newly designed by the landscape architect Aubort Raderschall.
Winterthur/Winterthur (Zurich (Region))
Judd-Brunnen (Judd Fountain)
Three eliptical fountain basins designed by the American artist Donald Judd (1928-1994).
Zürich/Zürich (Zurich (Region))
Heureka
In 1964 Jean Tinguely created his Heureka for the Swiss State Exhibition in Lausanne, which was subsequently placed on the Zürichhorn. His idling machines are recognized the world over - as an allegory to the consumer and to the industrial society, which exhausts itself in a frenzy of activity and ultimately moves towards absurdity.
Zürich/Zürich (Zurich (Region))
Guardian Angel of Niki de St. Phalle
Guardian Angel of Niki de St. Phalle in Zürich's Hauptbahnhof, the main train station.
Zürich/Zürich (Zurich (Region))
Max Bill Pavillon sculpture
The Swiss artist Max Bill (1908-1994) created in 1983 his Pavillon Sculpture, a construction comprising clear, straight lines, which today enjoys a prime position in front of the head office of the UBS bank on the Bahnhofstrasse.
Zürich/Zürich (Zurich (Region))
Sheep Piece by Henry Moore
Henry Moore was an ardent observer of nature. For his "Sheep Piece", he chose a format that was both monumental and romantic; the oversized bodies attract our attention to rather mundane animals which we scarcely notice any more. This sculpture was erected in 1976 for a Moore exhibition which attracted 74,000 people to the Seepark.
Zürich/Zürich (Zurich (Region))
NOVA
The NOVA project is part of the 150th anniversary of Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich. It is the world’s first three-dimensional, bivalent color display. The 6-ton lighting feature forms a cuboid with a base area of 5 x 5 meters / 6.014 yards and a height of 1 meter / 1.0936 yards. 25,000 individually addressable light spheres light up in more than 16 million colors. The artifact will be on display for 3 years at Zürich Main Station.
