When Andrew Bick goes about his painting, then it is not only in the spirit of creativity, but also in a rich actualization of art history. Influenced above all by English Constructivism and System Art, Bick has found his own style. The starting point of each work is the grid. It structures the ground upon which Bick makes his shapes dance. Some lines define boundaries in the painting process, others are painted over, and sometimes the brush completely departs from the drawing's guidelines and fills the pictorial space with the voluminous quality of its color. This creates a multifaceted interplay between order and freedom, painting and drawing, past and present. The transitions are hardly noticeable, bringing the extremes together and captivating the viewer. Languages: English and German

A comprehensive understanding of art--both in practice and appreciation--requires engaged and critical dialogue with the art and artists. "It Is All in the Detail "celebrates this sort of close observation with images and short essays on recent works by students and alumni of the Master Fine Arts Program at Zurich University of the Arts, one of the major Swiss art schools with a curriculum that encourages project-oriented, experimental thinking, as well as interdisciplinary individual and collaborative work.
While seemingly diverse, the works collected here--many never before published--all suggest productive points of discussion determined in cooperation with the artists themselves. Generously illustrated, the resulting book provides a view of the innovative work resulting from the Master Fine Arts Program and the process of contemplating art.

Peter Hachler (1922-99) ranks among the most revered and formerly most radical sculptors in contemporary Swiss art. Geometric rigor as well as an intuitive playfulness distinguish Hachler's work. The range of materials he used for his sculptures is another striking characteristic of his art. In the 1970s, Hachler began experimenting with industrial materials - such as concrete, plastic, cast iron, or stainless steel - creating vast works for display in public spaces, some of them conceived as art-in-architecture projects. This new monograph, published in conjunction with an exhibition at Museum Haus Konstruktiv in Zurich in autumn 2015, looks at Peter Hachler's art from today's perspective. It features nearly forty of his sculptures in photographs newly taken for this book. An essay by distinguished Swiss art historian Martino Stierli contextualises Hachler's oeuvre in postwar Swiss art, while curator Sabine Schaschl explores his life and inspirations in conversation with his widow Eva and his daughter Gabrielle.

From today's perspective, Leon Polk Smith's artistic position can be understood as a "missing link" in art history. His work connects the European avant-garde with the American abstraction of the 1940s/1950s via references to the paintings of Piet Mondrian. Smith's pioneering role in the Hard-Edge style and his Shaped Canvases are in turn achievements that spread from the US to Europe. With his unique Constellations, Smith became known beyond the borders of the US. In recent years, his work has gained new visibility thanks to numerous exhibitions in the US. The solo show at Museum Haus Konstruktiv in Zurich and the accompanying publication are intended to contribute to the long overdue new reception in Europe.