The Verbier 3-D Foundation proudly presents a new site specific commission by artist Tessa Perutz. Titled Verbier Sunset Mural, View Towards Val de Bagnes from Chapelle St Christophe (2025), the large-scale work is installed on the concrete base of a decommissioned ski lift at the highest point of the Sculpture Park.
Perutz returned to Verbier in 2023 for a second residency with the Foundation (having first participated in 2018), immersing herself in the region’s dramatic alpine landscape. Inspired by the light, forms, and emotional impact of the mountains, she developed a series of three paintings during her stay. One of these works was selected for translation into a large printed canvas, specially adapted for outdoor display. Designed in close collaboration with the artist, the format is engineered to withstand the extreme weather conditions of high altitude life — an innovative approach that brings the experience of painting into the open Alpine environment.
The mural is both a depiction of and a participant in the landscape. Capturing the contours, colors, and energy of the Val de Bagnes, it physically inhabits the environment it reflects. This layered relationship between image and site encourages viewers to reflect on how we experience nature not only by observing it, but by standing within it. The work becomes a mirror of its surroundings, reminding us that our perception is shaped by where we are.
Installed on the foundation of a former ski lift, the project also reactivates a piece of dormant infrastructure. This gesture reflects curator Alexa Jeanne Kusber’s ongoing interest in how natural settings influence perception. Once used to transport people through the mountains, the structure is reimagined as a platform for stillness and contemplation, connecting past and present, function and meaning, utility and beauty. Removed from the rhythms of everyday life, the location invites introspection and a deeper sensory engagement with the alpine surroundings.
Verbier Sunset Mural stands as a poetic homage to place, a synthesis of observation and memory that exemplifies Perutz’s unique ability to transform landscape into a space of psychological reflection. In this elevated setting, the mural offers a moment of stillness and clarity, inviting viewers to reconsider their relationship with the ever-changing natural world and their place within it.
This long-term project (2018–2025) was realized thanks to the support of the Commune of Val de Bagnes, Musée de Bagnes, Téléverbier, Loterie Romande, Patrick Michellod, PubliBagnes, Swiss Post, Jean-Édouard van Praet, Tappan Heher, Verbier Tourist Office, Mia & Anders Bergendahl, Mouton Noir, Marcus Bratter, Kiki Thompson, Madeleine Paternot, Lionel May, Vassar College Summer Intern Program, Arne Zimmermann, Kathrin Eirich, Albert Baronian, Alexa Jeanne Kusber and Nicolas Combes.
