11. Urs Lüthi (Kriens, Svizzera, 1947)
Spazio Umano, 2007
Bronzo | Bronze
n. 4 sculture 45 x 22 x 15 cm cd
No. 4 sculptures 45 x 22 x 15 cm each
Courtesy: collezione Paolo Brodbeck

20. Urs Lüthi (Kriens, Svizzera, 1947)
Ex-voto XXX (Art is the better life), 2009
Scultura in vetro, vetrina, legno laccato
Glass sculpture, glass showcase,
laquered wood
230 x 120 x 120 cm
Courtesy: collezione Paolo Brodbeck

21. Urs Lüthi (Kriens, Svizzera, 1947)
Ex-voto (Art is the better life), 2010
Scultura in vetro, vetrina, legno laccato
Glass sculpture, glass showcase,
laquered wood
160 x 40 x 60 cm
Courtesy: collezione Paolo Brodbeck

22. Urs Lüthi (Kriens, Svizzera, 1947)
Ex-voto XXV (Art is the better life), 2010.
Alluminio, vetrina, legno laccato
Aluminium, glass showcase, laquered
180 x 40 x 40 cm
Courtesy: collezione Paolo Brodbeck

Introducing the work of Urs Lüthi (Kriens, Switzerland, 1947), the Swiss-born German artist, almost feels unnecessary, so widely recognized is the historical significance and expressive force of his artistic language. Since the 1970s—with his iconic and ironic self-portraits on emulsion canvas—Lüthi has redefined the concept of self-portraiture, making it the cornerstone of a profound reflection on selfhood and the world. His work stages a continuous tension: personal, familial, social, and universal, unfolding in a constant dialogue between intimacy and collectivity.

11. Spazio Umano (2007) —which also lends its title to the exhibition—investigates the human condition, oscillating between greatness and fragility, uniqueness and precariousness. In Lüthi’s vision, the human being is both the center and the limit of the universe: a subjective measure of all that exists, yet a fleeting entity, destined to confront the vastness of the cosmos and the mystery of time.
In this sculpture, the artist portrays himself in a multitude of gestures and directions, immersed in an amplified, almost surreal space. His awkward and simultaneous movements represent the fevered and at times futile struggle of the individual to assert themselves in the social, political, economic, and spiritual realms.
Installed within the Church of San Mamiliano, the work takes on added intensity: the contrast between the solemn architecture and the human figure amplifies a sense of disorientation, disproportion, and finitude. Euphoria and determination inevitably clash with the inescapable limits of the human condition.

20-21. In the Ex Voto series (2010), Lüthi deepens his inquiry into transience with a strong autobiographical undercurrent. Here, the awareness of life’s impermanence breaks into consciousness—often triggered by a specific event—transforming initial indifference into an unavoidable presence.
The glass sculptures depict vascular vessels in which the artist’s own face becomes the terminal form: a striking image of human fragility. The preciousness of the form contrasts with the fragility of the material, creating a dualism that opens the way to a secular yet spiritually resonant vision—one that transcends the material world without denying it.

22. The series concludes with an aluminum sculpture depicting the artist both standing and seated, absorbed—perhaps overwhelmed, perhaps bored. It is an image of apparent surrender, yet one that reveals a lucid acceptance of solitude and the inherent limitations of being.