Mario Botta by Matteo Fieni Image Credit: Alexandre Tabaste
I have lived in Lugano for the past forty years, but the only public commission the city has ever entrusted to me was a bus stop,” Mario Botta humorously confesses. This is despite the fact that this native of Switzerland, born in Mendrisio on April 1st, 1943, is the first Swiss architect of international renown since Le Corbusier. Thus, it’s no surprise that he describes Switzerland as both “a mother and a wicked stepmother.” He has built cathedrals, synagogues, towers, and modern-art museums all over the world, yet his hometown has only ever commissioned him for a bus stop.