125 years of Dolder Grand

Diane Kruger received the Golden Eye for her outstanding acting performance and bold choice of roles at the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) in 2023. The German-American actress began her career as a successful international model before turning to acting. Following her breakthrough as Helen in Wolfgang Petersen’s “Troy” (2004), she showed her versatility in films such as “Inglourious Basterds” and “In the Fade”, for which she received the Best Actress award at Cannes. After being cast as the most beautiful woman in the world, she impressively established a successful career in the US and Europe. She stayed at the Dolder Grand while in Zurich and gave numerous interviews at the Hotel. In response to NZZ’s question of whether she had a propensity toward absolute dedication, she said: “Not just in my work. Now that I have a family, the emotions are much more intense.”

Rebel Wilson joins Charlotte Gainsbourg in September 2022 at the 18th Zurich Film Festival to present “The Almond and the Seahorse”, a film that tackles life’s biggest themes in a bittersweet manner.
The Australian actress, comedian and screenwriter, known for her multifaceted roles and unique humour, earned fame with comedies such as “Bridesmaids” (2011), “Pitch Perfect” (2012) and their sequels. With her degrees in law and in theatre and performance studies, she has established herself as one of the leading comedy actresses of her generation with her quick wit and comedy skills. She is an advocate of body acceptance and self-love and has an inspirational message for her fans in this respect: love is love.

For many years, the British royal family has valued Switzerland as a winter sports destination.
Charles III stayed at the Dolder Grand in 1980. While still a bachelor prince, he travelled to Switzerland on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the British-Swiss Chamber of Commerce and enjoyed a gala dinner with the then Federal Councillor Kurt Furgler. It is an honour for the Hotel and equally fascinating to see how historic moments such as these are reflected in the history of the Dolder Grand.
To this day, climate protection and sustainability are important concerns of Charles III, and they are also addressed by the Dolder Grand in its sustainability policy. Back in 1970, the 21-year-old prince raised awareness of the dangers of plastic waste. In retrospect, his foresight was pioneering and visionary.

The Rolling Stones and the Dolder Grand are connected by a special relationship. As an homage to the “Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World”, the Grand Hotel has dedicated a suite to them – Suite 100. The Rolling Stones, who celebrated their 60th anniversary in 2022, chose the Grand Hotel as a retreat several times when touring Switzerland.
Their first concert – at Zurich’s Hallenstadion in front of 12,000 visitors in 1967 – unleashed “a serious riot”, as the NZZ reported at the time, when the Stones caused the otherwise well-behaved youths to run rampant. In 2006, 70,000 fans rocked out at Zurich Airport, making it Switzerland’s largest concert ever at the time.

Alberto Giacometti (1901–1966) is one of the most important Swiss sculptors and painters of the 20th century. Born in the small village of Borgonovo in the Bergell valley, he was strongly influenced by nature and the cultural diversity of Graubünden from an early age. In the 1920s, he moved to Paris, where he immersed himself in Surrealism, which was at its peak there. His style was characterised by the reduction of forms and an intense perception of the figure. With the quote “All I want is to depict something I see”, he strove to establish a direct connection to reality through his art and to convey it in its truest form. The thinly modelled and elongated figures, which reflect existential themes such as isolation and human existence, are represented in renowned museums worldwide.
Alberto Giacometti maintained close ties to the Zurich art scene, living and working here as early as the 1920s. Zurich was often the venue for exhibitions of his works, including the famous 1948 retrospective at the Zurich Kunsthaus. The Dolder Grand in Zurich honors Giacometti with the Carezza Suite, whose organic forms pay tribute to his artistic dedication.

What began in August 1946 with Winston Churchill’s invitation to a contemplative painting holiday on Lake Geneva ended a few weeks later in Zurich with a political speech whose symbolic appeal is more relevant today than ever. With the words “Let Europe arise!”, he called for peace in Europe to be secured through lasting and peaceful cooperation in order to “usher in a new era of prosperity and partnership.”
Crowds of people were already waiting outside the Dolder Grand early in the morning when the British politician travelled to the University of Zurich in an open-top car. Thousands lined the streets.
Churchill had visited Switzerland once before as an 18-year-old. At that time, he climbed Monte Rosa in Valais, a feat he was very proud of. Later, the seminal politician discovered painting as a hobby. At the Dolder Grand, he made the acquaintance of the Swiss paint manufacturer Willy Sax, with whom he went on to have close lifelong friendship.

Herbert von Karajan had a special bond with Switzerland. For 40 years, he was one of the defining artists of the Lucerne Festival and his work at the festival contributed significantly to its reputation and musical prestige. At the Dolder Grand, we are paying our homage to the legendary 20th-century conductor in the Maestro Suite.
During his career, Karajan masterfully led the most prominent orchestras and opera houses, gaining considerable influence in the music world as artistic director of the Vienna State Opera, chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, director of the Philharmonic Orchestra in London and artistic director of the Salzburg Festival. He was known for his technical perfection, sound quality and keen interest in new recording techniques.
A little-known fact is that his enthusiasm for technology and movement started in his younger years, when he studied mechanical engineering for two semesters. He was fascinated by movement in the air, on land and on the water. As a Porsche driver, he had a penchant for fast cars, held a private pilot’s license and enjoyed sailing in his spare time.
Legend has it that none other than Maria Callas, the Diva Assoluta, went down on her knees in front of the maestro to thunderous applause after the last magnificent performance of “Lucia di Lammermoor” in Vienna in 1957. But the highs only lasted a short time and, due to demands for excessive fees, the engagement for the following season fell through.

Joe Clarke (*1992) is a British photographer based in London and Amsterdam, whose bold, yet poetic images explore themes of nostalgia, freedom and solitude. A photographic expedition to Iceland in 2017 formed the basis of his fascination with storytelling, capturing both the passage of time and the fragility of a fleeting moment. Spontaneity remains a key tenet of his practice today, and serves as his driving force. Drawing upon techniques such as creative framing, unconventional perspectives, soft focus, and slow shutter speeds in order to evoke dynamic movement, he also utilises reflections and rich textures and tones to create painting-like imagery that, at times, evokes the work of early colour pioneers. His portfolio has evolved over the years, moving seamlessly from landscape and still life to intimate portraiture, whilst remaining grounded in spontaneity and emotion.

Taiyo Onorato (*1979) studied photography at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and has been working together with Nico Krebs since 2003. Their artistic activities include photography, film and installations. Onorato uses the medium of photography to break with expectations and question what can be seen, that is to say: To what extent does a photograph depict our perception? And to what extent is it a purely technological construction? He collects material with an analogue photo and film camera on his travels and during his extensive research. His interests lie in the process itself and in cultivating an openness with regard to the result. This is also evident in his use of materials. He is constantly expanding his horizons and is involved in the sound and editing of video works.

Yvonne Wigger is a photographer, stylist and creative consultant based in Munich and Zurich. Alongside positions at renowned magazines such as Elle Germany and GQ Germany, she worked as a freelancer on various creative projects for clients in Germany, Switzerland and beyond before joining the fashion department of Vogue Germany. Working closely with Christiane Arp and Nicola Knels for five years, Yvonne realised numerous photo shoots around the world. As part of international teams, she worked on editorials with some of the industry’s most influential figures, including Karl Lagerfeld, Peter Lindbergh, Juergen Teller, and Daniel Jackson. As the manager for editorials starring models and celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, Stella Tennant, Naomi Campbell and Anna Ewers, she helped shape the visual direction of Vogue Germany. Yvonne typically takes an almost sculptural approach to fashion, allowing matter and form to speak, and exploring the relationship between seemingly contradictory objects, particularly in still life editorials.

Peter Langer (*1968) is a German photographer living and working in Berlin. A former gymnast who competed for the German national team, Langer turned to photography at the turn of the century, specialising in narrative still-life imagery. Peter’s photographs are characterised by his study of the object, focusing on the set of attributes that are integral to its visual identity. He seeks to create a punch line in the viewer’s mind that only the viewer can complete – each in their own way. Langer’s poetic still-lifes have been exhibited worldwide and he has published several books of photographs, including On-Line and Volume 1.

Yoan Mudry (*1990) is a multi-disciplinary artist, currently based in Geneva. He studied at Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD) where he graduated with an MFA in 2014. His work focuses on an attempt to understand the mechanisms behind the flux of images, narrations and information that are surrounding our world. Within just a few years, Mudry has succeeded in creating an impressive spectrum of performances, installations and paintings. Although he works in a variety of genres, the Swiss artist quickly became known for his vivid, hyper-realistic paintings, whose visual language draws on today’s popular culture. In these paintings, he mixes references from high and mass culture, making free use of emojis and quotes from advertising, films or book titles, comics, or memes from the internet. The result is usually humorous, playful and technically sophisticated. But there is always a bite to Mudry’s quirky combinations of images and text, and his way of instrumentalising commercial marketing.

Anna Stüdeli (*1990) currently lives and works in Hamburg, where she completed her master’s degree in Fine Arts with Pia Stadtbäumer/Sam Durant at the University of Fine Arts Hamburg (HfbK) in 2021. Before that, she completed her undergraduate art studies at the Zurich University of the Arts in 2018. During her studies she spent time at the Royal College of Arts and Goldsmiths’ College in London and at the Valand Academy in Gothenburg. Stüdeli is interested in sculpture and the surface behaviour of soft materials such as latex, hair, animal skin, modelling clay or foam. Skin-like surfaces, that is to say membranes that separate the inside from the outside, and their vulnerability are also at the forefront of her current work, in which photography is sculpturally expanded in multiple layers. For her collages, she processes ultra-close-ups of advertising posters in urban spaces in analogue form in order to create new statements. The search for the reality behind the advertising messages proves to be a pixelated phenomenonon pasted-on advertising paper, applied to billboards and building facades covered in graffiti, stickers and scribbles. Stüdeli throws pop advertising aesthetics back onto the vulnerability of the surface, as if she herself wanted to tear down the boundary between illusion and reality.

Muriel Florence Rieben discovered her passion for photography in 2020. It’s her personal artistic language, as she doesn’t need words to convey the essential. It’s about capturing a unique moment and revealing the unexplained narrative within.
Rieben’s background as a dancer and her minimalist lifestyle shape her artistic vision. She strives to focus on the essence of her subjects, removing distractions and capturing raw emotion. Her photographic journey began with pictures of architecture and dancers at dance events. They reflect her dedication and enthusiasm for movement and symmetry. This combination inspires her to take a new and innovative look at sport, fashion and lifestyle, which she is constantly evolving. In a world overflowing with images, her work stands out for its stories of movement, emotion and human connection.

Maxime Ballesteros, born in Lyon and based in Berlin, is a photographer whose vivid images of raw reality evoke the works of Nan Goldin, Corinne Day, Larry Clark and Ryan McGinley. His portraits, still lifes and reportage photos are created from everyday actions and imbued with a new depth and raw immediacy thanks to his unique talent.
His images radiate intense tension and empathy, as well as a direct approach that stands out from glossy, polished photographs. Through his relationship with his subjects, he reveals their human qualities and weaknesses in a captivating manner that allows viewers to immerse themselves in something fleeting and intensely private.
Ballesteros has impressed with solo exhibitions in Bratislava, Berlin and Cologne and been featured in a wide range of publications. His works include a wide range of projects, including fashion design, graphic design and visual art. In addition to his creative projects, Ballesteros is also committed to promoting young talent and further developing the design sector.

Stefan Armbruster is a photographer with an impressive career in the world of fashion. Before his career as a photographer, he enjoyed international success as a model for renowned brands. After working in New York and Vienna, he decided to return to his home in the Black Forest.
Known for his ability to capture natural and authentic moments, Armbruster’s breakthrough came when he took over the Hugo Boss campaign from Peter Lindbergh. Today, he works for labels such as Jil Sander and magazines like Harper’s Bazaar. In recent years, he has increasingly produced his works in nature and often on analogue film. Despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, he remained active, including with the “Bar & Kitchen” cookbook project and a photo series with Julia Nawalnaja, which opened up new potential for development. His return to the Black Forest gives him new inspiration and grounding due to the regional art scene and the proximity to Paris.

Reto Schmid is a Swiss photographer and filmmaker who has made a name for himself through his innovative approach to fashion photography. He graduated from the renowned ECAL in Lausanne, laying the foundation for his creative career.
Schmid’s work is characterised by a highly polished style and subtle humour. He likes to experiment with unusual perspectives and playfully distorts images to interpret fashion and human characters in an all-new way, while consciously challenging the traditional aesthetic. “I often try to incorporate elements you wouldn’t expect in a fashion shoot”, says Schmid.