Two government-affiliated organizations in Zurich have illegally disposed of artworks by renowned Swiss light artist Christian Herdeg worth more than 500,000 Swiss francs ($550,000), sparking a legal battle over copyright violations and the proper handling of public art. The 83-year-old artist, recipient of the 2021 Zurich Cultural Prize, discovered the destruction of his installations only by chance and is now fighting back against what he calls a fundamental lack of respect for artistic work.
The phrase "Is that art, or can it go?" became a popular saying after a janitor in 1986 accidentally removed Joseph Beuys' installation "Fat Corner" at the Düsseldorf Art Academy, mistaking it for trash. This humorous reference to the unintentional destruction of artworks by people who fail to recognize them as art has taken on a serious dimension in Herdeg's case, where the destruction appears to have been deliberate.
Herdeg's expansive light tube installation "So Near So Far" was created in 1986 under commission from Zurich Airport management. The artist and his team mounted light tubes filled with various colored argon gas – a noble gas similar to neon – in prismatic plexiglass cases on the ceiling of what is now Terminal A. The project cost approximately 250,000 Swiss francs for materials, labor, and artist fees, funded by the airport and ultimately taxpayers. The installation hung there for years, observed by millions of passengers on the moving walkways below, until one day it simply vanished without notice.
The second lost work, Herdeg's "Light Sail," was installed in 1995 in the hall of the former administrative building of the Zurich Municipal Electricity Works (EWZ) on the Limmat River at the border of Albisrieden and Altstetten districts. Herdeg had participated in a competition for a public art project and won with his proposal featuring argon tubes suspended on fine steel cables that appeared to billow in the wind. The installation cost over 250,000 Swiss francs, paid for by EWZ, which as a public institution means taxpayers again footed the bill. The Light Sail delighted employees and visitors until it too was removed without the artist's knowledge.
Born in 1942, Christian Herdeg initially worked as a photographer, cameraman, and lighting technician. Early in his career, he spent three years in Canada, working on photo assignments for publications including National Geographic. After encountering neon advertising signs in New York during the 1960s, he knew he had found his future medium. Upon returning to Switzerland, his work quickly gained recognition through numerous exhibitions and public art commissions.
Herdeg explicitly expanded his chosen medium by collaborating with chemists at Heidelberg Luminous Works to develop 300 nuances of previously limited colored fluorescent powder palette. In 1995, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung reported on his exhibition at Zurich's Jamileh Weber Gallery, describing "subtle colored light spaces." In 2001, Ernst Beyeler, the renowned collector and gallery owner, showed the exhibition "Art Light" in Basel featuring works by American art stars Dan Flavin, James Turrell, Bruce Nauman, Jenny Holzer, and Christian Herdeg.
In 2016, Sabine Schaschl, director of Zurich's Haus Konstruktiv Museum, wrote in the catalog "Christian Herdeg – Lyrical Minimalism" about the artist's "virtuosic play with the physical properties of light." Herdeg himself describes his work as a mixture of "opulence and reduce to the max" or "the symbolism of life."
Andreas Ritter, a Zurich lawyer experienced in art law who is supporting Herdeg, states that copyright violations have occurred. He references contracts stipulating that a work may not be altered, let alone destroyed, without the artist's consent, even though the buyer has paid for it. Most importantly, he explains, a copyrighted artistic work must first be offered back to the creator at material value – also called scrap price – if it is no longer wanted. "This is Swiss law," Ritter says, "and it has been ignored in both cases."
When the artist inquired about his missing works several years ago, Zurich Airport officials provided no explanation for removing the installation. EWZ gave only a vague response: the work had to be disposed of during hall renovation, unfortunately. EWZ spokesperson Thöme Jeiziner wrote in an email that they had been informed by the Office of Building Construction's Art and Building department that Herdeg's Light Sail was not classified as a public art object, so no regulations would apply during removal. "We could assume that we were violating neither copyright nor city guidelines," he stated.
Zurich Airport continues to show no understanding of the copyright violation. The reasons for removing the work are not documented, writes media spokesperson Andrea Bärwalde: "We assume that guidelines regarding the Canton of Zurich's art collection do not apply to Zurich Airport AG." This is surprising, given that the canton of Zurich is the airport's main shareholder.
However, there are positive examples of how Herdeg's installations have been handled. "Seven Stereometric Light Bodies at Water Level," a work Herdeg created in 1982 for the Swiss Bank Corporation, still illuminates the fountain on Bärengasse where he installed it 43 years ago, despite multiple stock market crashes, financial crises, and corporate takeover. UBS spokesperson Nadine Merturi writes that Herdeg's installation receives comprehensive annual cleaning and maintenance, and UBS ensures it continues to be prominently displayed despite operational changes. Should a work no longer be exhibited or preserved, there are guidelines ensuring all decisions are made in accordance with artist copyright law.
At the courtyard of University Hospital Zurich (USZ), "Eight Light Rings" have stood since 1996. In 2010, Herdeg's work was restored by USZ, and the electrical system was renovated. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the installation was temporarily removed for space reasons, writes communications officer Moritz Suter. It has since returned to its place near the emergency entrance because it has an "identity-creating effect," according to a written statement to the artist. The USZ spokesperson adds that the hospital's art department works closely with the Canton of Zurich's art collection and is aware of applicable guidelines.
Herdeg's primary goal in publicizing these cases is to ensure that decision-makers take responsibility for art in public and semi-public spaces, particularly in the interest of fellow artists who may be less independent than he is. At 83, the artist says his work is far from finished. "I can do it even better," he states. This coming spring, a new work using energy-efficient LED lights is scheduled to be activated at Chur Cantonal Hospital, proving that his innovative approach to light art continues to evolve.
