In exhibitions organised abroad, the arts and the nation tend to get mixed up.

The painter René Auberjonois from Vaud is the first artist to benefit from a personal Pro Helvetia exhibition during his lifetime.

In the second half of the 20th century, Swiss art was often associated with geometric abstraction

Due to the Spiritual defence and the generally conservative climate, contemporary creative artists only occupied a marginal place in Pro Helvetia’s policy until the end of the 1950s. Avant-garde artists, committed to geometric abstraction or surrealism were neither officially recognised nor in any way supported by public institutions. To defend their interest, and to voice also political demands, the artists formed pressure groups such as Gruppe 33 in Basel and Allianz, which was founded in Zurich in 1937.

The first Swiss art exhibitions in Japan take place in the 1970s.

In Switzerland, the painter Ferdinand Hodler is often regarded as the artist who best expresses the country’s national identity.

1974 was an outstanding year for the cultural impact of Switzerland in Australia. The Collegium Musicum, founded in Zurich by conductor Paul Sacher in 1941, went on a concert tour, which attracted considerable attention and enjoyed extraordinary success in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, and Adelaide. In the same year, the Australian public discovered the work of a painter, today considered the icon of 20th century Swiss painting: Paul Klee. In collaboration with the Australian Arts Council, Pro Helvetia organised exhibitions in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide that attracted large crowds.

Up until the 1960s, the African continent was hardly considered in Switzerland’s foreign cultural policy.