‘Exceptional Discoveries’
in the Engadin
August 21st – 30th 2009
St. Moritz, Switzerland
After a successful premiere last year, St. Moritz Art Masters will once again transform the famous alpine destination as well as the surrounding Engadin region into the Mecca of the arts and cultural scene in August 2009. A comprehensive selection of contemporary art invites visitors from around the world to experience ‘exceptional discoveries’ in the Engadin. The high-profile musical framing from classical to jazz, will make St. Moritz once again an exclusive cultural stage in the middle of a unique alpine panorama. The St. Moritz Art Masters is advancing to become an established institution for connoisseurs of the fine arts.Exceptional Discoveries. The program at the St. Moritz Art Masters invites visitors to experience truly ‘exceptional discoveries’: Art viewers are offered a unique symbiosis of gallery and art presentations on the one hand, as well as highlights of the international arts scene, assembled in St. Moritz especially for this occasion, on the other.
The Walk of Art, for instance – a public arts tour, leading through museums, galleries and extraordinary exhibition locations, will transform St. Moritz and the surrounding Engadin region into a one-of-a-kind exhibition space for the arts. The aim is to offer visitors a versatile impression of contemporary art and its artists, while at the same time showcasing the cultural diversity of St. Moritz and the Engadin region. Paintings, sculptures and photographs, along with video and audio installations, will attract visitors’ attention at traditional and unexpected venues, the town’s venerable 5-star hotels Badrutt’s Palace, Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains, Kulm Hotel and Suvretta House will advance to hotspots of the international art scene.
Churches, the Schulhausplatz gymnasium, or the Paradiso chalet are just some of the locations in which large-format paintings by Julian Schnabel, video installations by Mike Kelley or pictures by Gerhard Richter and photographer Manfred Leve will be displayed. The Scala cinema will be showing cineastic works by Julian Schnabel, while in the Kempinski lobby, visitors can encounter sculptures by Belgian multi-talent Arne Quinze.
In podium discussions – including a continuous symposium under the lead of Bazon Brock which will be held over several days – as well as a panel on the works of Mike Kelley, visitors are welcomed to gain profound insights into the world of contemporary art.
Additional highlights are provided through exhibitions of renowned private collections, conceptuated exclusively for the St. Moritz Art Masters: Bank Julius Baer will be presenting a selection of backlit works by Swiss artists, entitled Lightbox, in the Palace Galerie, located vis-à-vis the Badrutt’s Palace.
In its own premises at Via Serlas 23, the bank creates a room of encounters through works of Swiss artist Miriam Cahn. All works are part of its own Art Collection. The Daimler Art Collection will be presenting a large-format video installation by Sylvie Fleury in the gallery rooms of the Kempinski Grand Hotel.
Comprehensive cultural framework. The exclusive evening events also include the presentation of the SAM Awards 2009. The awards are hosted by exclusive sponsors and will be awarded in four categories. The SAM Art Advisory Board featuring renowned names from the international arts scene – among them Samuel Keller (Basel) of the Fondation Beyeler, the well-known art collector Roland Berger (Munich), the art critic Bazon Brock (Wuppertal) and the gallerists Mathias Rastorfer (Zurich) and Carla Sozzani (Milan) –nominates the award winners 2009. Last year’s SAM Sculpture Award has been integrated in the SAM Lifetime Award which is hosted by Cartier. This year, Richard Long is going to receive the award for his lifetime achievment. The SAM Photography Award is sponsored by Vacheron Constantin and is awarded to Floris M. Neusüss. The SAM Open your Mind Award presented by Daimler smart given to the young artist Thiago Rocha Pitta in 2009. Miriam Cahn is nominated for the SAM Swiss Art Award, hosted by the Julius Baer Bank.
Outlook. The SAM Art Advisory Board, stands for the profound quality of the St. Moritz Art Masters. With sponsors like Bank Julius Baer, Daimler AG, Cartier and Vacheron Constantin, the support of high-profile partners with a great renomé in the arts and cultural scene is guaranteed. As a result, the St. Moritz Art Masters enjoys excellent chances of advancing to become the event of the summer season on the social calendar of art fans.
Public Relations St. Moritz Art Masters
Eliane Bachenheimer PR
Florian Helmke-Becker
Freyastrasse 14, CH-8004 Zurich
Tel. +41 (0)44 482 61 53
Fax +41 (0)44 482 34 51
fhelmke-becker@bachenheimer-pr.ch
Kathrin Luz Communication
Kathrin Luz and Virgilio Pelayo jr.
Luebecker Strasse 11, D-50668 Cologne
Tel. +49 (0)221 923 59 87
Fax +49 (0)221 923 59 88
sam@neumann-luz.de
