Headless

History of the work

At the edge of the pavement on Casinoplatz stands a bronze figure without a head: 'Kopflos' (Headless) by Luciano Andreani, made in 1986. According to Switzerland Tourism it weighs about 400 kilograms and belongs to the City of Bern. The city's records say it is signed 'L. Andreani' on the left foot, which also bears a stamp with a K in a circle.

The city bought the sculpture in 1986 for 16,000 francs and placed it on Bahnhofplatz. It belonged to a group of small sculptures and installations created there in the early 1980s, among others by Heinz Brand, Rolf Iseli, Christian Megert, Ueli Berger and Carlo Lischetti. When the square was redesigned, the city decided to remove these works; for 'Kopflos' it wanted to find a new place together with the artist, as the municipal executive wrote to the city parliament in September 2007. In the meantime the figure was kept in a depot.

In 2009 it was given its present place on Casinoplatz in agreement with Andreani, according to Switzerland Tourism at the wish of many residents. What it is meant to say, this source too leaves open, asking only questions.

According to SIKART, Andreani was born in Como on 28 January 1947; the lexicon describes him as a sculptor who also works with performance and installation. According to a report by SRF he has worked in Bern for 50 years. He regards the 'Wasserspeier' (Gargoyle) as his main work, an installation he made in 1992 for an exhibition, which hangs 13 metres above Münstergasse. In 2024 this work caused a dispute: the artist and the owner of the house offered it to the city as a gift, which first declined and gave in three months later.

In front of 'Kopflos', take a look at the feet: that is where the signature and the stamp are.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Kultur Stadt Bern, Kunst im öffentlichen Raum (offene Daten) · Schweiz Tourismus: Skulptur „Kopflos“ · Gemeinderat der Stadt Bern, 5. 9. 2007: Postulat „Ist der Berner Witz auf dem Bahnhofplatz nicht doch noch zu retten?“ · SIKART: Luciano Andreani · SRF, 13. 7. 2024: Künstler will Stadt Bern sein Hauptwerk schenken · Wikimedia Commons: Bronzeplastik Kopflos (Luciano Andreani 1986)