HAEMMERLI, Thomas; ULMER, Brigitte (eds.)
Circle! Square! Progress! Zurich's Concrete Avant-garde. Max Bill, Camille Graeser, Verena Loewensberg, Richard Paul Lohse and Their Times

Amidst the turmoil of World War II, Zurich was an enclave where modern art held its ground. In the aftermath, Concrete Art, design, and the “Swiss Style” became emblematic of a modern Switzerland. Influenced by De Stijl, Russian Constructivism, and the Bauhaus, the Zurich Concretists aimed to transform society through aesthetics, design, and architecture.

Circle! Square! Progress! brings together the main protagonists Max Bill, Camille Graeser, Verena Loewensberg, and Richard Paul Lohse along with precursors such as Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Georges Vantongerloo, Theo van Doesburg, and Anton Stankowski. Contemporary witnesses, artist Peter Fischli and curator Bice Curiger, add their unique perspectives. The volume vividly describes the Zurich Concretist’s conections with European avant-garde, delving into the hostilities, scandals, and their ultimately successful struggle for recognition against the backdrop of the 20th century’s upheavals. [publishers’ note]

Published by Scheidegger & Spiess, 2024
Exhibition Catalogues / Scenes