Cuno Amiet
Cuno Amiet was born in 1868 in Solothurn. A pioneer of modern art in Switzerland, he was the first Swiss painter to give precedence to colour in composition.
At 20, he went to study at the Academy in Munich, where he became friends with Giovanni Giacometti. In 1888, both moved to Paris to continue their studies. Amiet’s style of painting was influenced by artists such as Paul Gauguin, Vincent Van Gogh and later Ferdinand Hodler (whom he met for the first time in 1893 and worked with from 1901). In 1896 he met Giovanni Segantini, whose Divisionism had already influenced him besides Neo-impressionism. Amiet joined the Vienna Secession and participated in art exhibitions in Berlin and Munich. In 1919 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Berne. Tragically, a great number of his early paintings were destroyed in the 1931 fire at the Glaspalast in Munich. What was more, many of his works in German collections were considered to be “degenerate art” during the Nazi regime and were confiscated and sold abroad. From 1932 to 1947, Cuno Amiet owned a studio in Paris, where he organised numerous exhibitions. His works were also shown in individual exhibitions and in exhibitions on Swiss art in Vienna, New York, London, Venice and Madrid. He designed the posters for all his own exhibitions.
Cuno Amiet died at 93 years old in 1961, leaving behind a very large and wonderful oeuvre.