Migros has a unique collection of contemporary art in Switzerland. Stored in an undisclosed location, hundreds of works, some of which are highly rated, are waiting to be exhibited in museums around the world.
Hidden from view, somewhere in Switzerland hides a real treasure. Some 1,400 works by 700 artists acquired by the Federation of Migros Cooperatives since the 1950s, on the initiative of its founder Gottlieb Duttweiler.
Paintings by great figures such as Sol LeWitt, Gerhard Richter, Andy Warhol rub shoulders with Swiss artists such as Heidi Bucher, Christoph Büchel or Xanti Schawinsky.
Some of these works have taken a lot of value over the years and today would reach millions on the art market. A reason which explains why the address of the deposit of the collection is kept secret.
Works meant to be seen
Designed to resist fires and earthquakes, the place also meets very precise hygrometric and temperature standards, which makes it possible to preserve paintings in the best possible conditions, but also “large works composed of several rooms which occupy a lot of space (…) or works that are the result of performances”, explains to RTS Franziska Bigger, scientific collaborator and archivist of the collection.
The works stored in this deposit are regularly lent to museums around the world to be seen. You can also see part of it at the Migros Museum of Contemporary Art, which opened its doors in Zurich in 1996. An institution entirely financed by the Migros Culture Percentage and which aims to promote contemporary art.
TV Subject: Fanny Moille and the RSI
Adaptation web: aq
