Thomas’s multivolume biography continues her meticulous exploration of the life and work of the influential artist. Max Bill was undoubtedly one of the most versatile artists of the twentieth century—a designer, painter, sculptor, architect, graphic designer, typographer, writer, curator, teacher, and politician—who influenced generations of artists. Picking up where the first volume left off, Thomas turns her attention to Bill’s life during World War II, exploring the ground-breaking artistic and intellectual networks to which Bill belonged: from his time at the Bauhaus in Dessau to his connections with the Parisian avant-garde and his lifelong friendship with Georges Vantongerloo. His importance as a writer, publisher, and exhibition organizer comes to the fore in this volume, as does his crucial influence on the development of Concrete art in South America and his active interest in urban planning and postwar reconstruction.

The competition has been overseen by the Federal Office of Culture (BAK) since 1998, before which the Swiss Booksellers and Publishers Association organised the competition for 55 years. This change over was accompanied by a new strategic and content orientation, with jury membership dependent on design and professional competence and greater emphasis on the design aspect.

The Most Beautiful Swiss Books are exhibited at Helmhaus in Zurich from 13 to 22 June 2025.

For more information about the award and other exhibitions of the selection in Switzerland and abroad as well as at book fairs, please visit www.themostbeautifulswissbooks.ch