We are proud to share that for the past few months, our collaboration with Hotel Grace La Margna in St. Moritz has been live. It is one we are particularly excited about.
Grace La Margna is the first five-star hotel to open in St. Moritz in more than 50 years, and it carries that distinction with confidence. Combining the grandeur of its listed 1906 façade with a striking contemporary wing designed by London-based Divercity Architects, the hotel holds membership of Small Luxury Hotels of the World and has been awarded a Michelin Key. It is a place that honours the past while being firmly anchored in the present, which made it a natural fit for what we had in mind.
With the guidance of curator Carolin A. Geist, we developed a selection that brings together very different, yet deeply complementary voices in Swiss art. The artists were chosen not only for the quality of their work, but for how well each speaks to a specific corner of the hotel and the guests who wander into it.
Paulin Nuotclà. Heritage in Motion
The centrepiece of the display are two works by Paulin Nuotclà, one of the last living masters of sgraffito: a centuries-old Engadin technique in which motifs are drawn by scratching through layers of fresh plaster to reveal contrasting colours beneath. Walk through the villages around St. Moritz and you will find this art on the façades of homes and public buildings. It is the visual language of the valley.
Nuotclà is not only a sgraffito master. He is an Engadin cultural polymath: singer-songwriter, illustrator, restorer, and a pioneer of Romansh rock music since the 1970s. At 74, he creates very few new sgraffito works of this kind, making the pieces at Grace La Margna genuinely rare. The works on display are portable panel sgraffitos depicting the towns of St. Moritz and Samedan as they appeared over a century ago. It is history made touchable, and suitable for both indoor and outdoor display.
Hathesis. The Digital Present
Where Nuotclà looks inward to the valley's past, Hathesis looks outward to the cultural moment we are living in. Working with neon, mirrors, collages, and bold colour, he makes art in the language of social media and the visual codes of Gen Z. His neon piece #KissesFromStMoritz, does not simply ask to be admired, it asks to be part of your story. Hathesis wants guests to take a selfie with it, share it, fold it into their own narrative. It blends the glamour of St. Moritz as a destination with hashtag culture, turning the wall into an invitation.
Together, Nuotclà and Hathesis embody tradition and experimentation within Swiss art. One upholding centuries of heritage, the other questioning the digital present.
Alina Kopytsa. Small Worlds
The collaboration also includes nine small ceramic sculptures by Alina Kopytsa, a Ukrainian-born, Zurich-based artist. Her intimate works bring a quieter, tactile dimension to the collection. It is a counterpoint to both the monumental Alpine imagery of Nuotclà and the neon energy of Hathesis.
Discover and Purchase
All artworks from our curated collection at Grace La Margna are available to discover and purchase through PickArt. Guests can scan the QR labels beside each piece, read about the artist, and take a work home in seconds.