Why Graubünden (Grisons) is the New Cultural Attitude of Switzerland

There’s a buzz threading its way through the peaks and valleys of Switzerland’s Graubünden – also known in English as Grisons – an elevated cultural hum that’s been quietly building over the last decade. Known for high-altitude haunts and ski-chic, the Engadin Valley – and its broader Graubünden / Grisons context – has unexpectedly become a gravitational pull for some of the world’s most prestigious gallerists, avant-garde artists and culture-savvy travellers.

Forget the clichés of chocolate-box Alpine views (though they’re here in spades) – this is a region where the white cube gallery has collided with white-powder pistes, and where the cultural altitude is every bit as heady as the scenery.

From Nietzsche to Now – Legacy Meets the Avant-Garde

The region has always attracted thinkers and creatives. Nietzsche wrote from Sils, Segantini painted the light, and the Giacomettis – led by the existential maestro Alberto – gave the valley an artistic pulse that still resonates in places like Stampa. But this isn’t just about legacy. Today, Graubünden is a place where progressive collectors, curators and artists come to breathe – quite literally – and create something new.

What started in the 1960s with a few bold gallery openings has exploded into a full-blown Alpine art constellation. Whether it’s radical installations inside converted barns or feminist discourse inside former monasteries, this is Switzerland stripped of neutrality and recharged with intention.

Muzeum Susch – A Monastery Reborn

If there’s a cultural totem in this scene, it’s Muzeum Susch. Housed in a 12th-century former monastery, this remarkable space blends contemporary art with the elemental force of the mountain itself. It’s a deeply immersive site – part gallery, part pilgrimage – that champions experimental, often female voices in contemporary art. Think rough stone walls, curving tunnels and installations that respond to gravity, shadow and silence. The fact that it exists in a tiny village of 200 people only adds to the mystique.

Hauser & Wirth St. Moritz – Global Gravitas, Local Cool

The mega-gallery opened its St. Moritz outpost in 2018, dropping heavyweight names like Cindy Sherman and Louise Bourgeois into the Alpine mix. Set within a historic building remodelled by Luis Laplace, Hauser & Wirth brings international clout with a distinctly local rhythm – hosting seasonal exhibitions that echo the cadence of the valley itself.

This isn’t just transplant culture – it’s embedded, tuned to the altitude and the pace of a place where time slows down and the light does something strange and beautiful to everything it touches.

Centro Giacometti Stampa – Where Silence Shapes Art

Just beyond the Engadin, the Centro Giacometti anchors the Alpine village of Stampa with raw creative gravity. This is where Alberto Giacometti’s legacy lives – in his original studio, still intact, and in the quiet intensity of a place that shaped his existential vision. For those chasing culture beyond the obvious, this is where the stillness speaks volumes.

Galleries with Guts: von Bartha, Karsten Greve & Vito Schnabel

Graubünden’s art map is a thrilling patchwork – each space wildly distinct in its approach:

Local Soul: Madulain & Villa Flor

Away from the headlines, smaller spaces like Stalla Madulain keep things rooted and real. This 15th-century barn hosts exhibitions by Swiss-born artists like Chrissy Angliker and Robertson Käppeli – their work pulling the might of the mountains onto canvas. It’s raw, powerful, and unpolished in the best possible way.

Then there’s Villa Flor, a boho-luxe guesthouse in S-chanf that doubles as a rolling gallery space. Artists don’t just hang their work here – they stay, dream, and let the landscape do its work. It’s a place of cross-pollination, where Alpine air meets creative spark.

Culture in Motion: Events, Talks & Fair Seasons

Annual events like Engadin Art Talks (E.A.T.) and Nomad St. Moritz bring an international crowd – not just for skiing, but for swapping ideas, provoking thought and expanding the concept of what an art destination can be. These aren’t just art fairs – they’re art conversations, set against dramatic snow-dusted skylines.

The Altitude Effect

There’s something magnetic about the juxtaposition of high-art and high-altitude. The remoteness of the Engadin doesn’t isolate – it distils. There’s no urban rush, no curated cool – just raw environment and bold culture. Art here is slower, deeper, more elemental. It makes space for ideas to grow.

Graubünden, and the Engadin within it, has become a sanctuary for those seeking more than just another gallery hop. It’s for the seekers, the wanderers, the collectors of feeling as much as form.