the series
”PAX”
the twelve paintings
of the series “PAX”
SOURCE OF INSPIRATION
FOR THE “PAX” PAINTINGS
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
“Like many Europeans, I was deeply affected—even thousands of kilometers away from my peaceful region of Switzerland—by the entry of the Russian army into Ukraine at the beginning of 2022.
I quickly realized that the geopolitical situation was complex, rooted in a long and painful history, with old disputes and deeply entrenched resentments. To fully grasp its significance, one would probably have to go back at least to the end of the Second World War.
But beyond the geopolitical issues, it was above all the human beings who occupied my thoughts: the people under bombardment, living in fear, enduring violence and loss every single day. I imagined their wheat fields, suddenly covered with metal and blood. Images came back to me—those of the memorial sites of the First World War that I had visited, at Chemin des Dames or Verdun. The question arose: is all this about to start again? Has it already begun?
I also thought of those tragic moments, just before the Second World War, when international diplomacy seemed powerless to stop the infernal machine of hatred dragging Europe—and soon the entire world—towards the abyss.
September 1, 1939
September 1, 2025”
“PAX” paintings
Mixed media
Acrylic on canvas (main part of the painting)
Glue, wheat grains, and metal waste (small central square of the painting, see image)
ENCRYPTED MESSAGES
IN THE “PAX” PAINTINGS
The paintings in the “PAX” series incorporate encrypted messages using © CODE BACH, a trademark registered by the Swiss artist and mathematician Jean-Claude Bossel.
These messages appear visually in the form of holes and slits of varying lengths and colors.
One might see in them bullet impacts, scars, knife cuts, or even traces of bayonets inherited from past wars.
Each of the twelve paintings contains two encrypted messages:
“DONA NOBIS PACEM”
“ET PAX HOMINIBUS”
In addition, two other encrypted messages run across all twelve paintings, from No. 1 to No. 12, continuing from one canvas to the next:
“REQUIEM AETERNAM DONA EIS, DOMINE, ET LUX PERPETUA LUCEAT EIS”
“ALLE MENSCHEN WERDEN BRÜDER WO DEIN SANFTER FLÜGEL WEILT / RIP”
The latter message refers directly to Schiller’s Ode to Joy, set to music by Beethoven in his famous Ninth Symphony, now the musical emblem of the European Union.
Click on the button to listen to Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”
Dimensions of the paintings
in the “PAX” series
SPECIAL OFFER
FALL 2025
The price of the paintings is fixed at its September 2025 value and will remain unchanged until the end of the “LET’S GO!” exhibition, which will take place from September 20 to December 20, 2025, in our showroom space in Préverenges.
The paintings can be reserved until November 30, 2025. After this date, each reservation must be confirmed by a final purchase. An invoice will then be issued, payable within five days. The works must be collected during the first half of December 2025.
It is also possible to purchase the entire “PAX” series in a single transaction. In this case, the group purchase of all twelve paintings will have priority over any individual reservations until December 1, 2025. The buyer of the complete series may collect all twelve works on a date of their choice, to be agreed upon, as soon as the invoice is paid, even before the end of the exhibition.
PRICES OF THE “PAX” PAINTINGS
DURING THE EXHIBITION
FROM SEPTEMBER 20
TO DECEMBER 20, 2025
PRICES OF THE “PAX” PAINTINGS
AFTER THE EXHIBITION
FROM SEPTEMBER 20
TO DECEMBER 20, 2025
The PAX paintings by Jean-Claude Bossel fall under Price Category II (paintings with encrypted messages), based on exponential curves.
The selling price depends on the dimensions of the painting and the date of sale.
Click on the button.