a black book with white writing on the cover
Premium DognyAuction

97 - BEN Vautier (1935–2024), “Switzerland does not exist”, white…
See original version (French)

Estimate CHF 3,000 - CHF 4,000
Sale commission
Description
BEN Vautier (1935–2024), “Switzerland does not exist”, white correction fluid on black paper, signed lower right. H. 23 x 31 cm The paper shows slight splashes of white correction fluid ‘Switzerland does not exist’ has become one of Ben’s signature phrases and, more broadly, a defining feature of Swiss contemporary art. First shown in 1991 in the exhibition *Visionäre Schweiz* curated by Harald Szeemann, it gained national prominence the following year when its Spanish version, *Suiza no existe*, greeted visitors to the Swiss pavilion at the Seville World Expo. The phrase then sparked a heated political and media debate, reaching as far as the Council of States. Far from simply denying the existence of the Swiss Confederation, it questioned the very idea of a homogeneous Swiss identity. Pascal Delamuraz, in particular, saw it as a reference to the country’s cultural, linguistic and topographical diversity. The pavilion had been specifically designed to break with traditional representations and the clichés of a picture-postcard Switzerland, in favour of a more critical and contemporary image. The work takes on a particular significance in the political context of 1992, a year marked by intense debate over Switzerland’s place in Europe, which culminated on 6 December with the rejection of membership of the European Economic Area. With the economy of means that characterises his famous style — a few white words on a black background — Ben thus transforms an apparently provocative statement into an open question: what constitutes the unity of a country founded precisely on the coexistence of different languages, cultures and identities? More than thirty years after Seville, the phrase retains its full capacity to provoke and challenge.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale BACK TO AUCTION — The start of the new auction season
Auction location
Auction time 09/08/2026 at 2:30 PM
Ref. : BOSZ2
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like