418 Today marks the inauguration of the Meret Oppenheim Square and Fountain at the rear of Basel main station (Basel SBB).

BASEL, SWITZERLAND, 07 June 2019 – In parallel to the construction of the Meret Oppenheim Hochhaus (2015-2018), Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron deemed that the location, named after the famous surrealist Meret Oppenheim who grew up in the Basel region, ought to feature a landmark by the artist.

In 2015, in collaboration with Meret Oppenheim specialist and curator of the 54th Venice Biennale, Bice Curiger, and the artist’s heirs, they initiated the large-scale posthumous reproduction of a sculpture, La Spirale, crafted after a small model the artist created in 1971/77.

The renowned Kunstgiesserei St. Gallen, a foundry for producing artworks, manufactured the sculpture. La Spirale is 3.5 meters high and cast in several pieces of highly polished brass.

”We absolutely wanted this location, primarily marked by railroad tracks, to feature a fountain , which in turn should be under the charm of a work by Meret Oppenheim.” says Jacques Herzog. “This fabulous artist should not just lend her name to a street, a square, and a high-rise. She should have, through her art, an actual presence in urban life, and thus in our collective minds.”

Herzog & de Meuron, 2019

PRESS RELEASE SBB AG