Well-known artists of the 19th and the start of 20th centuries include Albert Anker, Arnold Boecklin and Ferdinand Hodler. Some of the important figures in 20th century art were Swiss/Swiss-born, respectively: Alberto Giacometti (1901-66), famous for his sculptures of elongated figures, and Paul Klee (1879-1940).

Switzerland also boasts Jean Tinguely (1925-1991) with his creative and colourful installations, whose philosophy was that though machines made of scrap metal have no purpose they can have a meaning. Bernhard Luginbühl (1929-), a friend of Tinguely's, also used scrap iron to create huge sculptures.

In the 1950s, Swiss artist Max Bill (1908-94) further developed and popularized the style "Concrete Art" (as opposed to "abstract"). Its principles: economic use of materials and rationality. Bill defined Concrete Art as "the pure expression of harmonic measurement and law".

Perhaps one could argue it was no coincidence that Concrete Art should have appeared in a country which appreciates practicality and order.

On the other hand, Zürich was the birthplace of the nihilistic Dada movement, which grew out of the disgust and disillusionment produced by World War I and was the forerunner of surrealism. One of its exponents in Zürich was Hans Arp, several of whose works can be seen at New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

Many Swiss artists have made their names with absurd and playful works of art. Surrealist Meret Oppenheim's most famous work, "Fur Breakfast", is on display at MoMA.