Spotlight: Switzerland’s New Platform 10 Art District

Every year in Basel, Switzerland, Art Basel presents an exhibition featuring high end works by local artists. This yearly exhibition has turned Switzerland into more than just a blip on the map in the world of contemporary art.

This event brings together hipsters with art curators and gallery owners to create a community of passionate and dedicated artists. Due to its overwhelming popularity, there are now two competing art shows held in Hong Kong and Miami Beach.

Art has always been a significant part of the culture in Switzerland. Since Art Basel was launched, the fine arts have been treasured throughout the country. As a result. Switzerland boasts world-famous art museums. Some of these museums include:

Bern’s Zentrum Paul Klee Museum
Zurich’s Kunsthaus
Lucerne’s Rosengart Collection

Currently, under construction, Plateforme 10, set to be the largest museum in Switzerland, will be the next-door neighbor of the Lausanne train station. As the center of the city, it will be a prime spot for tourists to visit.

Once it is open for business, the Plateforme 10 is poised to set the city’s definition of an art district. It will hold a total of three museums on its property. These three museums are currently spaced out around the city. The Plateforme 10 will be the new home of:

Musee Cantonal des Beaux-Arts
Musee de l’Elysee
Museum of Contemporary Design And Applied Arts

In total, the three museums will come together to cover a campus stretching 237,000 feet. As a result, all three museums will have more space in which to display their exhibits.

To many, Lausanne is the perfect place for this new museum to open. The city is known as the world’s most free-spirited. As the Canton of Vaud capital, Lausanne borders the French Alps and Switzerland’s famous Lake Geneva. The city exudes the vibes of a young generation. As an artistic hub, it embraces a generation that thrives on their creative spirit.

Any art lover owes it to him or herself to plan a trip to Switzerland The Platform 10 District is not to be missed. It is an experience that visitors will never forget.

After the recent FIFA scandal emerged, the Swiss government is now looking to crack down on the laundering of money and even art.

According to some sources, Russian leader Vladimir Putin bribed a FIFA executive with a Picasso painting in order to have Russia be a future host for the World Cup. The Swiss government already passed a law in parliament limiting the amount of cash that can be traded in a transaction as well as the ability to freeze assets in Swiss Bank accounts. The once highly trusted bank accounts in Switzerland, commonly used to smuggle or launder money, are now getting a major face lift due to the recent number of crimes gaining publicity.

The new law, which will be implemented in the beginning of 2016, only allows 100,000 CHF ($104,000) to be transferred in any cash transaction. This change directly targets the art market, since many auctions have pieces which sell well over the 100,000 CHF limit being imposed.

As the head of the Swiss Money Laundering Office, Stiliano Ordolli explains, these transfers are:

Payable by credit card or the seller must carry out due diligence obligations. Either the seller does not accept it or they must ask additional questions to be sure of the legal origins of funds.”

The reason for the change is not to make it difficult, but rather to protect people from laundering and other forms of extortion which can fly under the radar when cash is changing hands.

This move is expected to put a stop to fraud since all auctions must be made public and leave a paper trail. Recently, Freeport leader and art leader, Yves Bouvier was arrested for fraudulently selling paintings which were not done by the artist.

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