Monte Verità Celebrates Joseph Beuys’ Centenary with Restored Elisarion Pavilion

Fondazione Monte Verità in Ascona, Switzerland, marks the 100th anniversary of Joseph Beuys’ birth (May 12, 1921) with a year-long program starting April 1, 2021. The initiative includes the reopening of the Elisarion Pavilion, housing Elisàr von Kupffer’s restored polyptych "Il Chiaro Mondo dei beati" (about 9 meters wide), previously selected by Harald Szeemann. Beuys’ philosophy—centered on utopia, peace, ecology, and energy—resonates with Monte Verità’s history as a early 20th-century community for theosophists, anarchists, and artists. A symbolic oak tree was planted in the park for the 20th anniversary of Beuys’ "Difesa della Natura" operation, with a prior event organized with Baroness Lucrezia De Domizio Durini. The program also involves Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich, reflecting shared multidisciplinary values. Artist residencies will host Francesca Gagliardi, Marco Cordero, Johanna Ghswend, Moritz Hossli, and Fabrizio Dusi. Nicoletta Mongini, head of culture at the foundation, emphasizes the ongoing relevance of Monte Verità’s utopian ideals amid digital revolution and pandemic.