Reto Boller (*1966 in Zürich, lives in Zürich and Stuttgart) is one of Switzerland’s most creative artists. He explores the boundaries between painting, architecture, and object art, exploding traditional expectations. After studying at the Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst Zürich (1990–95) and the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Arnhem (1993–94) he took up a post as professor of painting in 2007 at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart.
Reto Boller was invited to provide an artistic perspective on the renovation of the Langmatt. He had carte blanche, with liberty to do (almost) anything, at least within the limits imposed by a protected historic building.
At an early stage, during 2023, Reto Boller signalled his intentions with a small exhibition: three artistic interventions in the “18ième-Zimmer”, the “Grüner Salon”, and the corridor in the direction of the library unearthed a slumbering sculptural and painterly potential in the historic facilities, changed the spaces, and hinted at the coming renovation through their character as “deconstructions”. During the construction period, Reto Boller traversed the Langmatt site from time to time, and developed three further installation-type compositions. Reto Boller concluded his long-term art project by displaying, in the former parent’s bedroom, the installation artwork entitled safe.
In early June 2026, a publication will be released documenting all seven of the installation artworks created by Reto Boller at the Langmatt between 2023 and 2026.