Richard Paul Lohse's Modular Abstraction at MASI Lugano

Richard Paul Lohse (Zurich, 1902–1988), a Swiss Modernist artist, graphic designer, and thinker, is the subject of a monographic exhibition at MASI Lugano curated by Tobia Bezzola and Taisse Grandi Venturi. Lohse's modular paintings, which he jokingly called 'pictures that can be transmitted by telephone,' are based on a strict system of succession, alternation, and repetition of geometric forms and colors. The exhibition layout, designed as an agora, allows both individual viewing and an overall perspective, enhancing the sense of engagement while the handcrafted quality remains visible. Lohse's abstraction translates ideology and political commitment into visual form: early works from the 1930s and 1940s reflect resistance and anti-fascism, while later cycles, such as those from the 1970s, embody radical egalitarianism—each color appears only once per row and column to symbolize absolute equality among individuals. The show traces Lohse's evolution, emphasizing consistency and key encounters with other artists and movements. The climax is the monumental triptych 'Theme of Serial Sequences in Eighteen Colors' (1982), which transforms the exhibition space into an environmental installation, merging perception with concrete space. The review notes that the emotional or optical effects might be misleading, as Lohse's method and rigor prioritize concept over sensation, aligning with 20th-century abstraction's role as a vehicle for ideology.