Banknotes from the eighth series
The eighth banknote series was issued between 1995 and 1998.
These banknotes were recalled as of 30 April 2021 and are thus no longer legal tender. They can be exchanged for an unlimited period of time at the Swiss National Bank at full nominal value.
Design principles
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Work situation
The portrait is accompanied by a photograph in the top left-hand corner showing the personality in a typical work situation.
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Portrait
Unlike the intaglio print originals on traditional banknotes, each portrait in this series is based on a contemporary photograph which has been meticulously prepared - by means of complex image processing techniques - as a banknote portrait.
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'Lotar II' (1964)
This bronze bust shows Giacometti's fascination with surfaces. They underwent a stark transformation under his fingers and modelling knife, giving many of his figures the appearance of bare rock. The unevenness of the texture creates an intensive play of light and shade.
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'Homme qui marche I' (1960)
The walking man - shown here from four different perspectives - is one of Giacometti's best known figures. In it, the artist has captured a physical movement. For Giacometti, the natural equilibrium of the stride symbolises man's own life force.
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Time-space relationship
This sketch stems from Giacometti's 1946 memoir: 'Le Rêve, le Sphinx et la mort de T.' Because the linear narrative style was inadequate to express his experience, Giacometti tried a sculptural solution: time is represented as a horizontal disc, the individual segments stand for various events. The panels at the edge tell the relevant stories.