The studio and residential building at Wuhrstrasse 8/10 in Zurich is a unique place: Commissioned by the Painters & Sculptors Cooperative Zurich, founded in 1948, eminent Swiss architect Ernst Gisel (1922 2021) designed this ensemble of buildings comprising 8 apartments and twelve artist studios in 1953. Thus, a utopia of self-organised working and living space became reality. Since then, 54 artists have left their mark on the artistic and cultural life of Zurich and Switzerland from their home on Wuhrstrasse 8/10. This book recounts the history of this extraordinary structure, illustrated with archival plans and documents as well as new and historic photographs. It also examines the political and social dimension of the Wuhrstrasse model and its international impact. Further essays explore how the lives and works of the resident artists are interwoven with contemporary events, and address the artist studio as both an idealised myth and as a real place of work. In inserts created especially for the book, eleven Zurich-based artists, all not members of the cooperative themselves, respond to the exemplary model that is the Atelierhaus.
AUTHOR: The Painters & Sculptors Cooperative Zurich was founded in 1948 with the aim to improve the living conditions of Zurich-based artists and to provide affordable housing and studio space for its members. SELLING POINTS: . The Atelierhaus Wuhrstrasse 8/10 in Zurich is a model example of a living and working community of artists that has been thriving for almost 70 years . Swiss architect Ernst Gisel’s design of 1953 has remained virtually unchanged and its outstanding qualities still meet the demands of today’s inhabitants . Documents the building and its history through texts and largely previously unpublished archival plans and documents as well as historical and new photographs . Portrays the lives and works of the artists who live and have lived in the house and sheds light on the philosophical, cultural, and social aspects of this unique world
