Art of the Dolder

So the weekend before last I went to Zurich to attend the launch of the Classic Fusion Shawn Carter by Hublot watch for DuJour magazine (that coverage will appear in the spring issue). The launch was held at the Dolder Grand Hotel in Zürich, which is also the home of one of the most spectacular private art collections in the world. Lining the lobbies, restaurants and hallways of the Dolder are over 100 original works by artists such as Salvador Dali, Henry Moore, Marc Quinn, Damien Hirst and Camille Pissarro.The collection belongs to the hotel’s majority shareholder, the Swiss-born, London-based financier Urs Schwarzenbach.

The collection spans three centuries, starting with this bronze sculpture by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse which welcomes one to the lobby. As I rounded the corner to go to my room, I spotted this fun guy (pictured below, bottom left) by Takashi Murakami (one of three Murakamis in the complex). Outside, overlooking the stunning view of Lake Zurich sits “Leaping Hare on Curly Bell” by Barry Flanagan. In the parking lot, sits Jean Dubuffet‘s “Tour aux Figures, maître modèle.”

There were so many other great pieces (which I failed to take decent photos of). And all of it out in the open, in unexpected places, just hanging around and waiting to be discovered. I have never felt so close to living with art that doesn’t belong to me.