Large Drawing of the main facade of the SNB in Bern.

The main facade of the SNB in Bern.

Drawing on paper mounted on cardboard; pencil, ink, and watercolor, based on a design by Eduard Joos.
Signed lower right?
65 cm x 87 cm
90 cm x 110 cm including frame

The Swiss National Bank on the Bundesplatz (Federal Square) in Bern, constructed between 1908 and 1912, was inaugurated in 1912.

With its Neo-Baroque façade, the bank defines the character of the square—of which it is a key feature—and is considered the masterpiece of the architect, who won the first prize in the design competition. Its creation sparked passionate debate. The federal public works authority had requested a building in the Italian Renaissance style with a flat roof, intended to harmonize with the Federal Palace (to the right). The argument that ultimately secured approval for Joos’s design was that he had successfully created a transition between the austerity of the Federal Palace’s façades and the Baroque style of the Old Town.