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This year, the �鶹�� Lounge at Art Basel in Basel will feature ‘Endless Possibilities: Geometric Abstraction’, a selection of works from the �鶹�� Art Collection. Spanning from the 1960s to today, the presentation brings together works by leading international artists who engage with geometric abstraction—a genre that involves the use of basic shapes to explore harmony, rhythm and spatial relationships. Emerging in Europe in the early 20th century, geometric abstraction has remained a source of inspiration, continually evolving to reflect the endless possibilities of form and color.

One of the highlights of the display is an installation by Swiss artist Claudia Comte, whose practice stands out for its distinctive fusion of painting, sculpture and site-specific interventions. ‘Big Bob, his square friend and their diamond totem (2013)’, originally created for Credit Suisse’s Forum Genève, features three hand-carved wooden sculptures set against a zigzag-patterned wall painting. Comte’s style draws inspiration from nature, as she explains,

Nature is the center point of everything (…) that’s how I connect to my work – showing this natural material, working with wood, working with marble, creating these large wall paintings, where I take patterns I find in nature and digest them, reinterpret them and create immersive environments.

Comte’s playful approach invites viewers to interact with her sculptural “characters” and experience the installation as “an environment for people to feel joy and welcoming.” This year, as part of our ongoing engagement with art, �鶹�� is also proud to collaborate with the artist on a special new project. Eligibility criteria applies, recipients must be under 30 years old (born 1995-onward) and reside in Switzerland. Visit us during Art Basel in Basel, from Thursday to Sunday on Isteinerstrasse from 1pm to discover more!

The roots of geometric abstraction run in Switzerland’s own art history. Verena Loewensberg was a leading figure and the sole female member of the pioneering Zurich Concrete Art movement in the 1960s and 70s that included Max Bill, Camille Graeser and Richard Paul Lohse. ‘Ohne Titel’ (1968-69) exemplifies her experimentation with asymmetry and shifting optical effects, adding a subtle yet engaging vibrancy to her works. Inspired by Constructivism, the Bauhaus and music, particularly jazz, the flowing lines evoke sound waves or shifting landscapes while the palette—shades of blue and green—enhances the impression of an intense, almost musical vibration.

The legacy of the Zurich Concretes, as they were called, inspired new generations, including Beat Zoderer. Zoderer reinvents Concrete Art’s formal visual language. In his works, such as ‘Kleiner Einspann auf 2 Lagen’ (2005), he employs and manipulates everyday materials like sheet metal and transforms them into intricate sculptural compositions, inviting the viewer to consider the relationship between structure and disorder, the rigid and the fluid as well as the impact of scale and proportion on perception.

�ѱ𲹲Էɳ󾱱���,��Philippe Decrauzat merges influences from Russian Constructivism, Op Art and Minimalism. His ‘Untitled’ (2010) creates a rippling, kinetic effect through meticulously hand-painted lines, simultaneously conveying complete stillness as the placement of the work itself remains static.