Theophile Steinlen was a Swiss artist renown for his paintings of cats. Theophile Steinlen was born in Lausanne, Switzerland in the year 1859. This is the French speaking part of the country.
Steinlen was also an avid printmaker.
Below a great selection of works by Steinlen. This includes not only his famous cats, but wonderful landscapes and female nudes:
The artist attended college at the University of Lausanne.
Steinlen was a successful commercial artist painting not only cats, but chickens and other animals. The artist also painted the figure. He was in demand by leading cultural magazines of the time.
Steinlen was also a sculptor with cats being his favorite subject.
Theophile Steinlen passed away in 1923.
In this clip we view a work by Steinlen that appeared on my favorite television show, the Antiques Roadshow!:
Price range information: Works range from $5,000 to $150,000.
Steinlen is included in the National Gallery of Art located in Washington D.C.
What a great subject matter! I love cats, what awesome models they make since they don’t talk and they move so very little. Steinlen does a wonderful job of capturing the emotional spirit of cats!
Adolf Wolfli was a Swiss painter associated with the Art Brut or outsider movement. Adolf Wolfli was born in Bern, Switzerland in the year 1864.
The artist had an extremely difficult childhood. He was abused physically and sexually and was an orphan by the age of ten. He spent a majority of his adult life in a mental hospital. The artist would sometimes hallucinate.
In this clip a montage of works by Adolf Wolfli:
Adolf Wolfli passed away in 1930.
A collection of his artwork can be found at the Museum of Fine Arts located in Bern Switzerland.
Price range information: Sorry none available.
What I enjoyed most about this artist was his sense of creativity and desire to create art just for himself, not for a gallery or client. The artist was given pencils and paper once a week, but he loved to create so much he would be out of supplies in few days. He would then trade for scraps of pencils and papers with visitors.
Hans Josephson was a Swiss painter and sculptor renown for his work with the human face and figure. Hans Josephsohn was born in Kaliningrad, East Prussia in the year 1920.
After completing his high school education Josephsohn moved to Italy to study art on a scholarship. He left Italy due to its anti Jewish stance and relocated to Switzerland.
In Switzerland Josephson studied under renown sculptor Otto Müller.
The artist also produced wall reliefs in addition to his sculptures of the face and figure. These reliefs are very abstract in their appearance.
The artist was based out of Zurich, Switzerland for much of his career.
Hans Josephsohn passed away in 2012.
In this clip we view many works of Hans Josephsohn at the Yorkshire Sculpture Garden:
Price range information: Sorry none available.
When I view the figures of Josephson I am reminded of British sculptor Henry Moore. Though Moore’s work was more abstract, the figures that both artists produced have a wonderful presence of space, as if they have been standing or sitting in their locations for eternity.
Josephson’s sculptures of the face also remind of the Inuit artists. Like the Inuit people, Josephsohn tried to focus on the overall emotion shown through the human figure rather than a specific part of the body such as an eye or smile.
His abstract reliefs are my favorite for their mix of innovative shapes and designs with traditional materials.
Sophie Taeuber-Arp was a fantastic abstract painter born in Davos, Switzerland in the year 1889. Taeuber enjoyed the arts and was a painter, sculptor, and dancer. Sophie Taeuber-Arp is associated with geometric abstraction and also constructivism.
Her father was a pharmacist and died when the artist was only 2 years old. Her mother relocated the family.
Taeuber-Arp would attend various art schools and artist colonies in Germany and Switzerland.
She married the DADA married the artist Jean Arp.
Taeuber-Arp was a teacher of textile arts at the collegiate level.
The artist also penned a book on textile design. In the latter 1920s the couple would move to France and get French citizenship. In 1940 the couple would move from Paris to the south of France to avoid the Nazis.
In 1943 she was visiting Switzerland when she was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning.
In this clip a great montage of works by Sophie Taueber- Arp:
Price range information: Works range from $20,000 to $250,000.
If you enjoy geometric abstraction be sure and check out my post on Shirley Jaffe.
Jean-Luc Manz is a French renown for his abstract paintings using geometric shapes. Jean-Luc Manz was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland in the year 1952.
The artist sometimes finds inspiration in traveling to Egypt. He visited on many occasions over a decade beginning in 1992.
Jean- Luc Manz is based out of Laussanne, Switzerland. He lives in the part of Switzerland where French is the main language.
Jean -Luc Manz work shows glimpses of color field painting, abstraction, and collage. Some works even look like stained glass. The artist will often use shapes he sees in his everyday life.
Price range information: Sorry none available.
The artist often works with acrylics on canvas.
What a great combination of various artistic schools of painting!
Méret Oppenheim was an Swiss artist renown for her Surrealist art. Méret Oppenheim was born in Berlin, Germany in the year 1913. Her father was a doctor.
Oppenheim attended the Basel School of Arts and Crafts and also the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere located in Paris, France.
The artist was also a muse for Man-Ray appearing nude in many photographs.
The artist had her first solo show in 1936.
In this clip the niece of Méret Oppenheim recalls her aunt:
Méret Oppenheim passed away in 1985 at the age of 72 years of age.
Perhaps the most famous work by Méret Oppenheim was a cup that was covered with fur from a gazelle. This work is part of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art located in New York City.
Here we view a show celebrating the 100th birthday of Oppenheim in 2013:
Price range information: Oppenheim produced many lithographs and also worked in oils, gouache, collage, and bronzes. Works range from $10,000 to the low six figures.
Emma Kunz was an amazing artist and healer who enjoyed drawing with ink and colored pencils. Emma Kunz was born in Brittnau, Switzerland in the year 1892. Kunz was a healer and artist. Her family was quite artistic with a background in weaving. Kunz worked with geometric shapes in an abstract style.
In the clip below we view some works by Kunz. A bio by the artist is first and works are shown beginning at 3:20 into the clip:
Many of her works were finished in one sitting. One sitting could last as long as 24 hours. The artist created her works not for display at a modern art museum, but for her patients who might need aid in meditation.
Emma Kunz passed away in 1963.
The shapes and color used by Kunz are remarkable. Her work reminds me of my childhood time I spent playing with the spirograph.
Price range information: Most works priced between $5,000 and $30,000.
Xavier Bueno was a fantastic painter working with the figure and typography in his own unique style. Xavier Bueno was born in the year 1915 in Vera Di Bidasoa, Spain. His father was a journalist and writer.
Bueno attended the Academy of San Fernando located in Madrid, Spain. The artist also studied in Geneva, Switzerland.
He had a brother named Antonio who was also an artist.
The works of Bueno that received the best critical acclaim were his paintings of children that took place from 1959 to the mid 1960s. These works have a wonderful artistic appeal as the works show great design with the occasional typography thrown in. Like a Kathe Kollwitz etching the children’s emotions in these images seem to pour out to the viewer.
Xavier Bueno passed away in 1979.
Price range information: Works range from $10,000 to $100,000. The artist worked mainly in oils.
Bueno is one of my favorite artist’s working with kids and children’s faces. The children are so expressive.
Karl Bodmer was born in Reisbach, Switzerland in the year 1809. Bodmer was a fantastic painter of landscape. His most famous series had to do with the Western landscapes found in the United States of America. Bodmer also painted a significant amount of portraits of Native American Indians.
Below we view a show that features paintings and drawings whilst Bodmer attended Prince Max on his journey into to the American West:
The artist was encouraged and inspired by a brother of his mother’s who was a professional engraver, to do something in the art world.
Here we view some of Bodmer’s works featuring Native American Indians:
The trip Bodmer took to the United States was a guest of Prince Maximilian of German. The trip traced much of the Missouri River and took place in 1833 to 1834.
Bodmer was also an avid printmaker producing etchings and lithographs, which were both hand colored, of his favorite subject the landscape.
In Europe he was famous for landscapes that featured the well known bodies of water including the Rhine River and Lahn River.
Later in his life Bodmer moved to France and became a French citizen.
Karl Bodmer changed his name to Charles Bodmer after becoming a French citizen and passed away in 1893.
Price range information: The artist worked with prints that start at $2,000. He also painted in oils and these can reach as $50,000.
Robert Frank was born in Zurich, Switzerland in the year 1924. Frank is renown for his photography featuring the many classes of people and ethnic groups that make up America. Frank produced a book of his images called the Americans in 1958.
Coming from Europe, the artist found the pace of life in America to fast. He also thought too much attention is given to money.
Here we see a collection of works by Robert Frank presented by the Smithsonian:
Price range information: Works range from $5,000 to nearly $700,000 for his famous work featuring a trolley car in New Orleans. This work is the third from the bottom in the picture gallery.
In addition to photography Frank was a film maker who enjoyed shooting documentaries. The artist produced a film that covered the Rolling Stones whilst on a music tour. The film was controversial and the Stones ended up suing Frank for the copyright to the film. The movie can only be shown 5 times per year and Frank must be present.
What an interesting story. As compared to other New York City area photographers such as Diana Arbus, already profiled here, who captured dwarfs and very unique people in the big Apple. Frank travelled the world over shooting wonderful works of people going about their daily business. His highest selling work, the trolley, is a great snapshot of American life in a major metropolitan city.
Diattaart Blog 