Picture perfect Lugano combines great art with spectacular scenery
Tucked into a southern salient of Switzerland about 25 kilometres from the Italian border, the city of Lugano in the Swiss canton of Ticino enjoys a stunning lakeside location, with the surrounding mountains plunging into the water.
Much of the city’s cultural life revolves around Lugano Arte e Cultura (LAC). Facing a gorgeous, sculpture-lined lakeside promenade, it hosts world class music, theatre and dance performances. LAC is also home to the city’s principal art museum, the Museo d’Arte della Svizzera Italiana (MASI), where the collections reflect the special nature of art in the region, with its Italian cultural identity and Swiss political affiliation.
Luigi Rossi (1853-1923), ‘The Song of the Dawn’, oil on canvas, 1910-1912 (MASI)
Changing selections from the permanent collection reflect the region’s art history and follow the historical traces of Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism to Symbolism, Expressionism, New Objectivity and the first blossoms of Surrealism.
Installation shot of an exhibition by the Swiss artist, graphic designer and theorist Richard Paul Lohse at MASI
A second MASI location, the historic Palazzo Reali, has works spanning the 15th century to the present day, including classical landscapes, portraiture and religious works.
Across the street from LAC, the Collezione Giancarlo e Danna Olgiati is a private collection spanning the early 20th century to the present. Selections are changed annually, so depending on when you visit, you might see works by Louise Bourgeois, Antony Gormley, Anselm Kiefer, Andy Warhol, Antoni Tapies, Wolfgang Tillmans, Alberto Magnelli or others. There is also a series of temporary exhibitions based on themes drawn from the permanent collection. Bonus: Admission always free.
Antony Gormley’s ‘Standing Matter’ (foreground) with Anselm Kiefer’s ‘Eradinus’ (right background) and Gormley’s ‘Feeling Material XXXIII’ in the Collezione Giancarlo e Danna Olgiati
Facing Lugano’s lakeside promenade, the Fondazione Gabriele e Anna Braglia houses a small private collection which packs a big punch. Anna and Gabriele Braglia have built their collection over the last 50 years, with German Expressionism a particular interest. Italian artists also feature (de Chirico, Fontana, Modigliani, Morandi, Burri, etc.), while a host of international artists includes Basquiat, Chagall, Christo, Dali, Doig, Ernst, Leger, Magritte, Miro, Picasso and Warhol.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s ‘Returning Goat Herd’ (1925) at the Fondazione Gabriele e Anna Braglia
Next door, the Museo Delle Culture (MUSEC) has an extensive collection of art and ethnographic objects from around the world, with a particular focus on African, Asian and Oceanic cultures.
From an exhibition at the Museo Delle Culture (MUSEC)
Next to LAC, the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli is home to Switzerland’s most famous Renaissance fresco, The Passion and Crucifixion of Christ, which covers the entire wall of the nave.
The Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli
FURTHER INFO luganoregion.com