Marking the centenary of Ernst Scheidegger, this book offers a fresh and contemporary look at his multi-faceted body of work. It is based on an extensive reappraisal of his estate and features a concise selection of iconic and lesser-known images that demonstrated Scheidegger’s prowess as a portraitist. More importantly, however, the volume enables an encounter with Scheidegger’s hitherto little-published early work and thus undertakes a reassessment of his entire oeuvre. Essays by Tobia Bezzola, art historian and director of the MASI Lugano, Alessa Widmer, curator and artistic director of Photo Basel art fair, Kunsthaus Zürich conservator Philippe Büttner, and Helen Grob, Scheidegger’s long-time companion, trace his career and self-concept as a photographer and round off this beautifully designed photo book.

Le Corbusier's masterplan and buildings for Chandigarh, capital of the Indian federal state of Punjab, are landmarks of 20th century architecture and urban planning. Based on the principles of the “functional city”, which the CIAM had been calling for in the 1930s, Le Corbusier and his collaborators searched for a modern response to the early 20th-century idea of the garden city.
In the late 1950s the Swiss photographer Ernst Scheidegger conceived a book, Chandigarh 1956, illustrated with photographs of the growing city he had taken on several trips to Chandigarh, but also with sketches and drawings by Le Corbusier. It was meant to be the initial volume of a series of books with the aim of promoting the architectural and social visions of Le Corbusier and other architects.
It remained unpublished, despite the innovativeness at the time of the idea to popularize the topics of architecture and urban planning through books and other media.
Scheidegger’s photographs of the construction of Chandigarh are now published for the first time.
The book also includes a facsimile of the original mock-up for Chandigarh 1956, a fascinating document of visual communication of architecture. Essays on the history and importance of Chandigarh, its buildings and its reflection in photography and on Scheidegger’s travels to and his view of Chandigarh compelemt the images.
«For those who have not been to Chandigarh, and for those who think of Le Corbusier as the conceptual source of all crimes against urbanity, in other words for most people, the photographs by Ernst Scheidegger in Chandigarh 1956 will come as a relevation.» Deborah Gans, The Architect’s Newspaper

«In 1956, a young Magnum photographer travelled to India with an ambitious project in mind. […] Ernst Scheidegger’s intention was to use his camera to document the erection of the new capital in stages and publish the pictures in a series of books. The project went unrealized […] Finally, a georgeous new book, Chandigarh 1956, collects the images, along with texts and other materials and brings the original project to completion. Classic photo-reportage at its best, it provides a personal account of a crucial moment in social and architectural history.»

«As a white material plaster is superbly well suited to bringing a figure to life using light and shade. I discovered that the plaster casts reproduced Alberto’s work in a much more differentiated and lively way than many of the bronzes could. For this reason plaster figures became my favourite subjects for object photographs of Giacometti’s works.» Ernst Scheidegger

“With this volume I wish to document Giacometti's personality from a completely different standpoint. I do so using photographs taken almost continuously from 1943 up to the time of his death; these were the twenty years in which his art became well-known. During this time, I took countless photographs. I was one of the lucky ones allowed to experience his life.” – Ernst Scheidegger

Bereits in der Kunstgewerbeschule gehörten Atelierbesuche und -gespräche bei Lehrern und befreundeten Künstlern zu Ernst Scheideggers Alltag. Die Faszination, hinter die Kulissen einer Welt zu blicken, die man normalerweise nur durch Ausstellungen kennt, beginnt in dieser Zeit.

Text von Peter Zeindler

Herausgegeben von Ernst Scheidegger
Mit Beiträgen von Bruno Giacometti, Odette Giacometti-Duperret, Dolf Kaiser, Hugo Loetscher, Giacomo Maurizio, Jean-Rudolf von Salis, Beat Stutzer und Max Wermelinger.
Die Geschichte des Bergells und der mit dem Tal verbundenen Künstler: Giovanni, Augusto, Alberto, Diego und Bruno Giacometti, Giovanni und Gottardo Segantini, Ferdinand Hodler, Cuno Amiet, Max Ernst, Varlin.

Als Ernst Scheidegger einmal seine Fotos von Alberto Giacometti ins Café Deux Magots mitnahm, um sie ihm zu zeigen, war Joan Miró dabei. Der üblicherweise reservierte Katalane verlor seine Zurückhaltung, als er die Aufnahen sah. Solche Fotos wollte er von sich haben, er lud Scheidegger nach Spanien ein.

Mit 16 Zeichnungen von Alberto Giacometti und 19 sw Fotografien von Ernst Scheidegger
Aus dem Französischen von Marlis Pörtner
Jean Genet (1910–1986) ist über längere Zeit ständiger Gast im Atelier Alberto Giacomettis an der Rue Hippolyte-Maindron; er gehört auch zu den ganz wenigen, die von ihm porträtiert wurden. Sein Text ist ein kunstvolles Geflecht aus eigenen Beobachtungen, Überlegungen, Urteilen und Aussprüchen des Bergeller Künstlers.

"Coincidence has influenced my whole life," says Ernst Scheidegger. He remembers his friendship with Alberto Giacometti—during which he became his most important portraitist. From 1952 onwards, he worked for the Magnum agency as a photo journalist, traveling to the Arab world, to India, and the Far East.

The film investigates this network of meaningful encounters with people and defining events.

A film by Ernst Scheidegger
Directed by: Ernst Scheidegger
Camera: Peter Münger, Rob Gnant, Othmar Schmid
Text: Jacques Dupin, Ernst Scheidegger
Cut: Peter Münger, Kathrin Plüss
Music: Armin Schibler

The close friendship between Alberto Giacometti and Ernst Scheidegger spanned more than twenty years. This gave Scheidegger, the painter, gallery owner, photo-journalist and publisher, the opportunity to capture his revered friend on camera on so many different occasions. Hardly anybody else was allowed to observe Alberto Giacometti at such close quarters.

Many of the works created over the decades came from a tiny studio in Paris and are among the most important of 20th century art: the sculptures, paintings and drawings of Alberto Giacometti (1901–1966).

The film «Alberto Giacometti – Die Augen am Horizont» is a ‚tour d’horizon’ of the unique life and work of Giacometti, It begins with his personal impressions. Throughout his life he recorded his thoughts in writing: reflections, diary-like sketches, analyses of his work, accounts of his dreams, essays on fellow artists, and memories. Giacometti’s «Ecrits» (writings) provide the visual motifs for the film.

The film then provides insights into Giacometti based on the reminiscences of his friends and colleagues who worked with him – and who miss him. It’s a portrait of Giacometti by those who knew the man and his art well, just as the artist would have wished: unfinished.

Ein Film von Ernst Scheidegger
Regie: Ernst Scheidegger
Kamera: Othmar Schmid
Kommentar: Bruno Giacometti, Odette Giacometti, Ernst Scheidegger
Schnitt: Kathrin Plüss
Musik: J.H. Dobler (bearbeitet von Pietro Bianchi) und James Ensor
«Das Bergell – Heimat der Giacomettis» ist ein essayistischer Film, der das ineinander verflochtene Porträt der Giacomettis entwirft: des Vaters Giovanni Giacometti, des Onkels Augusto Giacometti, der Brüder Diego und Bruno.

Max Bill erschuf die erste Version der "Kontinuität" aus Gips für Zürich; diese Skulptur wurde zerstört. Die Deutsche Bank gab Bill danach den Auftrag, die Konitnuität aus Granit für den Vorplatz der Bank zu realisieren. Der Film schildert die Entstehen der Skulptur in einem Steinbruch in Italien bis zur Installation in Frankfurt.