Tanya König

INTERVIEW WITH ART DEALER DOMINIQUE LÉVY

An interesting experiment that “doesn’t work.” Swiss art dealer Dominique Lévy has that and plenty more to say about Art Basel’s online viewing rooms. The digital-only edition of the cancelled Hong Kong fair was a major test for an industry that thrives on bringing people together around cutting-edge art. And while the event drew 250,000 visitors—almost three times last year’s fair—Lévy says it left a lot to be desired. “Unless there’s a form I don’t know about, I don’t believe that an online Art Basel has a future.”

Why African-American artists are becoming art market superstars

Six out of ten auction records last year were set by African-American artists. Their star is also rising in Switzerland: Major galleries are showing art by African-American artists this month. We look at why they are increasingly in the spotlight.

#WeekendChat: Hackathons fighting Covid-19

From creative solutions to bring relief in the time of coronavirus—like the hackathons #versusvirus and #codevscovid19— to tips on how to stay mentally healthy. All this and more good news in the Weekend Chat with Ana Maria Montero and Tanya König. All #WeekendChats can be found here. And more about the show is on my blog.

neighbors mobilizing against coronavirus

Communities are using social media to organize grocery shopping or help with other basic needs for people confined to their homes. Hilf-jetzt.ch, a platform set up on Friday, lists 500 groups that offer assistance to those coping with the coronavirus outbreak. Alessandro Iacono tells us more.

Corona-Buster: How to make your own hand sanitizer

Coronavirus fears have sent the demand for hand sanitizers soaring. Many pharmacies and online shops are sold out. Others are charging exorbitant prices. But making your own hand disinfectant isn’t hard. Tanya König walks you through the recipe.

the history of the wef

Tanya König takes a look back at the highlights of the World Economic Forum’s 50 years of existence with visits by Nelson Mandela, U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Greta Thunberg, etc.

this is how the federal council is elected

Switzerland’s Federal Council has been elected on December 11, 2019. The Green Party was not able to win a seat and therefore all members are the same as before the election. Sound confusing? Tanya König breaks it all down.

Interview with Casey Neistat

With over 11 million subscribers on YouTube, Casey Neistat is an online celebrity. The filmmaker and content creator spoke at the Swiss Innovation Forum 2019 on how he built his online business. Tanya König asked him about the growing influencer business and when he turns down lucrative deals.

Interview with ai weiwei

“The value of art is very hard to determine” and it can’t be rationalized, says Ai Weiwei, the Chinese artist and activist, who calls himself “a top businessman.” He discusses when he refuses to sell an artwork, the price of his activism, and why the U.S.-China trade war won’t end up as just a trade war.

The Art of selling at auction

Alberto Giacometti’s “Lampe coupe aux deux figures” was the highest-selling piece last week at the Swiss Art Sale at Christie’s in Zurich. Tanya König followed that artwork until it sold and found out what goes into selling art at auction.

Is the art world really becoming more female-friendly?

Female artists have long been underrepresented at institutions, galleries, and history books. Tanya König visited Art Basel and spoke to dealers, collectors, artists, and curators to find out whether the focus is shifting when it comes to female representation.

interview w/ burton ceo donna carpenter

Burton is the largest snowboard brand in the world. It is privately owned by founder Jake Carpenter and his wife Donna Carpenter, who is at the helm of the company. She tells us about Burton’s approach to staying financially independent and closing the gender gap.

interview with fabien jordan of Astrocast

Astrocast’s first satellite was launched from Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and now the Swiss start-up is developing a nanosatellite network for the Internet of Things. The EPFL spin-off has been nominated for a Swiss Economic Award 2019, and its founder Fabien Jordan tells Tanya König about the worldwide potential of its low-cost technology.

Why Switzerland needs to remain business-friendly

McKinsey and Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce released a wake-up call for Switzerland. We tell you why the popular vote on May 19 is going to be crucial for doing business in Switzerland.

interview with powercoders

Powercoders is a Swiss coding academy that has successfully trained refugees for free and helped them integrate into the IT job market. Companies like Swiss Post, Swiss Life, and Swisscom support the initiative, and the nonprofit organization is now expanding abroad. Founder Christian Hirsig and project manager Hussam Allaham tell us more.

Which eggs to put in your basket

Don’t put all the eggs in your basket. We tell you why—and reveal which ones should go in!

switzerland: a new wedding destination

Switzerland is aiming to become the next go-to wedding destination. We talked to The Wildest Dreams, which organized the nuptials of Singapore-based designer Jessicacindy, to find out why their clients opted for Switzerland. We also asked Tomas Pedroni, marketing manager at luxury hotel Le Grand Bellevue Gstaad, why weddings are good for business. And a Follow-up story with Switzerland Tourism can be found here.

interview with daniel hug of art cologne

Art Cologne is taking place next week. The fair’s director, Daniel Hug, tells us more about their business model and why he’s putting the spotlight on young galleries this year.

the big burger business

Bill Gates and Leonardo DiCaprio are switching to plant-based-meat – at least when it comes to their investments. The Beyond burger is now available in Switzerland at Helvti Diner.

Story & video editing: Tanya König

Camera: Sebastien Chastellain

Polish billionaire grazyna kulczyk

Grazyna Kulczyk made billions with real estate projects and other investments. Now she has opened a museum in Susch, which is the biggest art project in the Engadin Valley in recent years. She tells Tanya König why she chose this small town of just 200 inhabitants for her ambitious project.

Story & video editing: Tanya König, Camera: Roberto Cancellara

the swiss who conquered hollywood

Simon Otto had a contract at DreamWorks before he graduated from Gobelins over 20 years ago. He worked his way up from animator to head of character animation in “How to Train Your Dragon.” The latest in that threequel is now set for release and is again expected to gross in the hundreds of millions.

swiss art hub Engadin valley

The Engadin Valley is known to be the home or inspiration of artists such as Alberto Giacometti and Giovani Segantini. Now it’s attracting more and more galleries and museums. Reporter Tanya König went to the alpine region to find out why. 

interview with art dealer iwan wirth

Hauser & Wirth just opened a new space in St. Moritz, it’s ninth location worldwide. Iwan Wirth, the co-owner of the mega-gallery, tells Tanya König that their ambition is to extend the season in Engadin and add to the cultural discussion in the Alpine region.

why firms like swisscom are training mental health first-aiders

A mental health first-aid course developed in Australia is coming to Switzerland. Pro Mente Sana is focusing on the workplace before rolling it out to the public in spring 2019. We had exclusive access as staff from firms such as Swisscom attended the first-ever “ensa” training in Zurich.

interview with harper reed

Harper Reed was Barack Obama’s Chief Technology Officer and he tells us how he hopes they made history and why he thinks people working in tech should take an ethics course, too.

interview with jet aviation president

In a rare interview, Robert Smith, president of Jet Aviation Group, explains why the company has invested around CHF 20 million in Basel to build a new hangar big enough to fit two Boeing 777s. Tanya König also takes you behind the scenes of a business that caters to the world’s rich and famous.

Handelszeitung picked-up the story.

interview with art dealer eva presenhuber

Eva Presenhuber is one of most influential art dealers in the world. She owns galleries in both Zurich and New York and has also been in the selection committee of Art Basel. She tells us what it takes to make it into the prestigious fair and how to stay relevant in the ever-changing art market.

interview with bastian baker

Did you know that Swiss singer-songwriter Bastian Baker is also into real estate and tech start-ups? The 27-year-old from Lausanne who was discovered by the legendary Claude Nobs takes a break from his world tour with Shania Twain and talks to Tanya König about how he invests his money.

Handelszeitung picked up the story.

package on start-up felfel

Felfel is a rising Swiss start-up that saves office workers from mediocre lunches. Tanya König spoke to the co-founders to find out their recipe for success.

Filmed & edited by Tanya.

interview with director michael steiner

Collaboration is key, says Michael Steiner, one of Switzerland’s best-known filmmakers. But with the release of his latest, “Wolkenbruch,” the director of “Grounding” tells us that past success doesn’t help secure state funding for future films, something that’s crucial in a small market.

thomas meyer: we’re obsessed with becoming rich

Thomas Meyer, the best-selling Swiss author of Wolkenbruch, thinks many of us are overly-obsessed with becoming rich. Tanya König gets his take on money and society, liberalism, and travel.

viggo mortensen opening zff 2018

The Zurich Film Festival is underway, with Hollywood stars such as Viggo Mortensen hitting the green carpet. Swiss leaders from business and politics were also out in force for the launch event, as Tanya König finds out.

at yuma, sharing is caring

Sharing is caring, especially when eating at Yuma Zurich. Tanya König and Eléonore Payro take you on a food tour!

interview with ziggy marley

Bob Marley’s eldest son Ziggy Marley is continuing his father’s legacy by singing about fake leaders and humanity on his latest album “Rebellion Rises.” He tells Tanya König what makes a good leader, what motivated him to name an EP after Spotify, and why tapping into other businesses such as writing a cookbook or having an emoji app helps him reach more people.

interview with artist & entrepreneur dieter meier

He is one of Zurich’s originals and has shaped the city with his activism and art. Dieter Meier, best known for being part of the electro-pop duo Yello, is also a successful entrepreneur producing his own organic meat and wine in Argentina. As he told reporter Tanya König, he has big plans for revolutionizing the chocolate market too and is currently in talks with Starbucks, Unilever and Barry Callebaut.

interview with fondation beyeler’s sam keller

A new building and a bigger park are at the core of the expansion plans for the Fondation Beyeler, the most visited museum in Switzerland. Its director Sam Keller tells CNNMoney Switzerland half of the CHF 100 million is secured. He hopes he will close the gap by the time they receive the construction permit.

interview with the director of les trois rois

Les Trois Rois is one of Europe’s most historic city hotels, where Napoleon and artists such as Pablo Picasso and Niki de Saint Phalle stayed. Like every hotel in Basel it profits a lot from the many fairs in the city. With the Swatch Group pulling out of Baselworld, the new director of Les Trois Rois, Tanja Wegmann, says there are ways to compensate the loss of revenue.

interview with läckerli huus ceo miriam baumann-blocher

Läckerli cookies are part of Basel's identity. Miriam Baumann-Blocher is the owner and CEO of the cookie manufacturer Läckerli Huus, which is based in the canton of Basel-Land. She tells Tanya König why she believes in the Swiss market and reveals what she learned from her father, Switzerland's most famous politician Christoph Blocher.

Where to spend your francs at the street parade

The Street Parade in Zurich is the world’s biggest techno-party. Over 1 million people danced around Lake Zurich to celebrate this year’s motto, “Culture of Tolerance.” If you want to take your partying to the next level, you’ll need to be prepared to shell out.

Street Food Fesitval Zurich

The Street Food Festival in Zurich is going on now and features the best the world has to offer. It started back in 2014 and was the first of its kind in Switzerland. Tanya König samples the tasty treats.

interview with botswana’s youngest minister

Bogolo Joy Kenewendo is the youngest minister of Botswana and the youngest female member of parliament in the country’s history. After three weeks on the job as the minister of investment, trade and industry, she speaks to CNNMoney Switzerland's Tanya König about the challenges she faces as a 31-year-old female minister and how she makes sure to get it right.

how zurich is putting itself back on the art map

With the world’s biggest art fair set to kick off soon in Basel, museums and institutions in Zurich are doing their part to attract a share of the visitors in the days ahead. We took a look at what the Zurich art scene is doing to lure in connoisseurs and collectors during Art Basel. Filmed and edited by Tanya.

interview with fashion designer yvonne reichmuth

Her leather clothing label YVY can be found in the wardrobes of Hollywood stars and influencers, such as Kylie Jenner, Eva Longoria, Katy Perry, and Monica Bellucci. Success seems to follow 31-year-old Yvonne Reichmuth. Tanya König sat down with the Swiss fashion designer.

interview with actor simon baker

Australian actor Simon Baker, known for his role in the series "The Mentalist", has made his directorial debut with the film "Breath." Tanya König met the actor and director during the Zurich Film Festival and asked him about stepping out as a director and being a brand ambassador for Swiss watchmaker Longines.

interview with chinese artist ai weiwei

As Chinese artist Ai Weiwei premiered his first feature length documentary Human Flow, he reveals how his own background helped him tap into the global refugee crisis. Tanya König met Ai Weiwei to discuss the crisis and found out why Switzerland will always be so dear to him.