A valuable sculpture by renowned Zurich artist Jürg Altherr was inadvertently destroyed when municipal workers in Dietlikon dismantled and disposed of a fountain during construction projects. The 1971 artwork, commissioned by the Migros supermarket chain as a gift to the community, had fallen into disrepair over decades of exposure and neglect. Workers removed the stone structure in 2011 to make way for a new store location and bus stop, unaware they were demolishing a significant piece of public art. More than a year passed before the municipality realized the error, by which time the only remaining evidence consisted of a few photographs.
The fountain represented Altherr's first site-specific work, created when the artist was just beginning to develop his signature approach to spatial relationships. Johanna Altherr, the artist's daughter who manages his estate, learned of the destruction during summer 2025 when she inquired about the missing piece. Municipal officials admitted that despite thorough research, they found no documentation identifying Jürg Altherr as the creator. The lack of records partly stemmed from the artist's own disinterest in the work during his lifetime, though this hardly excuses the oversight. The community had deemed the broken, weed-covered fountain intolerable, prioritizing practical concerns over potential artistic value.
This incident reveals a disturbingly common pattern in Switzerland's handling of public art. Light artist Christian Herdeg recently discovered that two of his major installations had been scrapped without his knowledge. One piece, a fluorescent tube installation purchased by Zurich Airport in 1986 for 250,000 Swiss francs using taxpayer money, vanished without documented explanation. Another Herdeg work, also valued at 250,000 francs, hung in the city electricity company's administration building from 1995 until its recent disposal. In both cases, the institutions failed to notify the artist or his representatives before destruction.
The problem extends beyond Herdeg's experience. A massive red giraffe sculpture by Bernhard Luginbühl faced a similar fate after standing for years outside Swiss Re's Zurich headquarters. The company attempted to auction the 8.5-meter artwork but received no bids at the initial sale. Eventually, a buyer emerged willing to pay 62,500 francs, though their identity remains unknown. These cases demonstrate how easily valuable cultural assets can slip through administrative cracks, especially when ownership transfers or building renovations occur.
Perhaps most tragically, another Altherr work currently faces destruction despite active efforts to save it. An 18-meter tower created in 2008 has never found a permanent home after being rejected by communities in Wald and later Uster. The structure was erected in Uster in 2019 but dismantled just days later when steel cables failed, nearly causing serious injuries. Repair estimates of 305,000 francs far exceed fundraising capabilities, and neither the architect nor the city can find an alternative location. The tower currently sits in storage on a site scheduled for development, meaning it must be moved soon or face demolition.
Legal recourse for these losses remains limited and costly. Johanna Altherr's claim for damages against Dietlikon was rejected on the grounds that the municipality couldn't identify the artist, despite Swiss law entitling creators to compensation for destroyed works. Christian Herdeg consulted a specialized art lawyer but ultimately decided against litigation due to prohibitive costs. These experiences highlight the need for better documentation systems and contractual obligations requiring institutions to contact artists before altering or removing public works. As Switzerland's cultural heritage faces ongoing threats from urban development and administrative negligence, artists and estates must proactively secure their rights or risk seeing decades of creative labor reduced to landfill.
