Exhibition Walser art from Bosco Gurin at the Museo delle Culture in Lugano

The Museum of Cultures in Lugano is dedicating an exhibition to the special culture of the Walser people in Bosco Gurin - and to a son of the community at the very top of the Maggia Valley: Hans Tomamichel.

Keystone-SDA

06.11.2025, 12:16

SDA

In an exhibition, the Museo delle Culture (Musec) in Lugano focuses on a special feature of the Swiss cultural landscape: Bosco Gurin, the highest municipality in the canton of Ticino at an altitude of 1506 meters; a Walser foundation in the 13th century with its own High Alemannic language, its own traditions and special traditional art - which the inhabitants have preserved over the centuries.

The objects on display "bear witness to the creativity and spirituality of an Alpine culture deeply rooted in its territory and tradition", writes Musec. The exhibition is divided into three thematic sections: "Between earth and hearth" shows agricultural and domestic tools that tell of the relationship with the mountains and family life; "Forms of affection and beauty in everyday life" is dedicated to objects that express care, aesthetics and spirituality in small things and "Sacred art and popular piety" presents evidence of the faith that was lived between home and church.

The exhibition is the result of several years of research work, for which the Musec collaborated with the municipality of Bosco Gurin and the Museum Walserhaus Gurin. Visitors can immerse themselves in the local culture and experience "the continuity between functionality and aesthetic value, between everyday life and spirituality, between folk art and European artistic influences", as the Musec continues.

The exhibition concludes with a special section. This is dedicated to Hans Tomamichel (1899-1984), who was born in Bosco Gurin. He moved to Zurich at a young age, but would remain connected to his home community throughout his life. Characteristic of the work of the illustrator, painter and commercial artist is that he combined the colors and artistic traditions of his homeland with modern graphic elements. He also designed the Knorrli, the mascot of the former German food company Knorr.

The exhibition "Arte Walser: La tradizione di Bosco Gurin" (Walser Art: The Tradition of Bosco Gurin) can be seen at Villa Malpensata in Lugano until March 1.