Nomad 2025: A postcard from the St Moritz art and design show

Long before St. Moritz hosted the 1928 Olympic Games, this idyllic alpine village in Switzerland’s Engadine Valley was already a winter retreat. Well-to-do holidaymakers have been flocking here since the late-1800s, around the time the historic Kulm Hotel first opened its doors. More than a century later, the tradition continues, with visitors arriving in droves from December to March.

Synonymous with wealth and exclusivity, St. Moritz naturally became a hub for art and culture. Today, the town—home to fewer than 6,000 residents—boasts international galleries like Hauser & Wirth, Vito Schnabel, and Monica De Cardenas in the nearby hamlet of Zuoz. Given its deep ties to the art and design world, it was a fitting choice for Nomad, the roving showcase of art, jewellery, and collectable design, which launched its inaugural edition here in 2017.

For the first time, the Winter 2025 edition of Nomad took place in Klinik Gut, a former orthopaedic hospital in the town centre. The stripped-down interior—raw concrete floors and stark white walls—provided a dramatic contrast to the works on display. More than 40 exhibitors participated, ranging from renowned art galleries to luxury brands and emerging collectable design studios. On opening day, the space buzzed with visitors and St. Moritz locals, many hoping to find the perfect painting or sculptural chair to furnish their chalets—or simply to take in the extraordinary pieces on display.

Here are Wallpaper’s picks for best in show.

Buccellati

The Milan-based high jewellery and silverware house Buccellati drew inspiration from the Engadine mountains for its installation. Conceived by design duo david/nicholas, the space took the form of an intimate dining room. “What was interesting for us is that when you’re out all day in St. Moritz, you’re surrounded by the mountains,” said David Raffoul, one half of the pair. “So we took the risk of closing the window.” The walls were lined with silk and wool textile panels designed to evoke the shifting colours of the surrounding landscape—icy whites, deep blues, and the rich browns of dense woods. At the centre of the room stood a custom-designed, dark-stained wooden table, also custom designed by david/nicholas, showcasing several of Buccellati’s latest collections. Among them were the Cervino cutlery, crafted from deciduous stag horn, Murano-made Caviar wine glasses first designed in the 1930s, and exquisitely detailed woodland figurines from the Furry Animals collection, whose lifelike fur was handcrafted by artisans using thousands of delicate silver threads.

Rossana Orlandi

The famed Milanese design gallery Rossana Orlandi took over a series of rooms on the former clinic’s ground floor, showcasing an eclectic mix of contemporary pieces. Among the standouts were an intricately crafted bench by artist and mosaic designer Yukiko Nagai. Inlaid with pieces of Biancone marble, Venetian glass, and ceramic, the bench’s carved elements resemble the intricate patterns of delicately woven lace. Born in the Japanese city of Niigata, Nagai studied mosaic design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ravenna—the home of Italy’s Byzantine-era mosaic-filled churches—here she developed her practice of mimicking materials like wood and textile using stone and glass, creating a dizzying trompe-l'œil effect in person.

Galleria Antonella Villanova

Amongst the array of excellent pieces in Florence-based Galleria Antonella Villanova’s Nomad showing, were the otherworldly vessels by Germany-based artist Nora Arrieta. According to Villanova, Arrieta’s work blends historical references with pop culture iconography, resulting in pieces that feel as if they should be characters in a dystopian fairy tale: misshapen cars rendered in pastel colours piled atop one another; tech-infused botanical figures sprouting QR codes; and surreal vessels with gold-plated branches growing from their lids, a fantastical chimaera of inanimate objects and living forms.

Spazio Nobile

The theme for Spazio Nobile’s Nomad exhibition was 'Shining Peaks' and the Brussels-based gallery showed up in Switzerland with a veritable mountain of new work. Amongst new pieces by Pierre Charrié, Florence Coenraets, and Marie Corbin, the 'Fauteuil Romain' seating by Benoît Maire—a multi-disciplinary artist who studied philosophy before embarking on an art practice—was a highlight. The wooden chair possessed a striking mix of colours and textures: the backrest and seat painted with washes of pink and blue; perpendicular gouged oak panels that end in lifelike feet; and a curved oak body that calls to mind a cocoon.

Micheluzzi Glass

In addition to their booth, the multi-generation glass house Micheluzzi founded by the artist Massimo Micheluzzi and run by his daughters, Elena and Margherita—provided bespoke lighting for Klinik Gut’s grand entrance staircase. Inspired by the natural wonders of the Venetian lagoon, long tendrils emerged from the sculptural chandelier, resembling a placid squid floating along the ebbing tides. Also present were the “Ghiaccio” (Ice) lamps, hanging pendant lights that look as if they were encrusted with morning frost, a nod to the frozen landscape just outside the door.

Sofia Zevi

Milan’s Sofia Zevi Gallery brought a preview of its upcoming Salone del Mobile exhibition to the alpine fair. Titled 'Pink in Italian Design', the showcase zeroed in on the use of the oft-maligned colour in mid-century design. Zevi particularly focussed on the work of the architect and designer Ico Parisi, for whom the exploration of colour was central to his practice. Highlights of the exhibition included a rare piece sourced from one of his final interior projects, a villa on the shores of Lake Como. The round, mirrored coffee table sits atop an oak base painted with a curving dash of pink around the bottom. Pieces by other designers included an Art Deco 1930s suspension lamp by Paolo Buffa, a table lamp with a pink glass shade by Tito Agnoli and a set of Venini glass picture frames whose squiggly edges look as if they could have been designed yesterday — underlining the remarkable contemporaneity of these mid-century masters’ work.

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