German
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Basic data
Julius Bissier was a German painter and graphic artist who became known above all for his meditative, small-format watercolors and gouaches. His works are often inspired by Far Eastern philosophy.
- Name: Julius Bissier
- Date of birth: December 3, 1893
- Place of birth: Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- Date of death: June 18, 1965
- Place of death: Ascona, Switzerland
- Nationality: German
- Art style: Abstract art
- Known works: “Gouaches and watercolors”, “Miniatures”
- Techniques: Watercolor, gouache, ink
- Influences: East Asian art, Zen Buddhism
- Similar artists: Paul Klee
- Exhibitions: Numerous international exhibitions, including at the Kunsthalle Basel and the Museum of Modern Art
- Special features: Bissier's works show a strong spiritual and meditative depth
Julius Bissier's works are still appreciated today for their tranquillity and formal reduction.
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Biography
Childhood & youth
Julius Bissier was born on December 3, 1893 in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. His creative streak was already evident at a young age and he developed an interest in painting and drawing. However, his artistic path did not begin until after his A-levels, when he decided against his originally planned career as an architect and instead opted to study art.
From 1913, Bissier studied at the Karlsruhe Art Academy, where he developed his technical skills under the tutelage of Walter Conz and Hans Thoma. His first works were strongly influenced by the traditional art of the Renaissance and Realism, but he soon turned to modern art and found his own formal language.
Early artistic influences and the search for his own style
After studying art, Bissier took part in several study trips, including to Italy, where he became particularly interested in Renaissance painting. His study of the Old Masters and their profound, spiritual expressiveness had a lasting influence on his work and his artistic philosophy.
In the 1920s, Bissier increasingly moved stylistically in the direction of modernism. He experimented with various techniques and forms of expression and was influenced by New Objectivity and Surrealism. His interest in Asian art and philosophy was particularly influential, opening up new perspectives on composition, form and the meditative dimension of painting. These Asian influences, particularly from Zen Buddhism, would henceforth play a central role in his work.
Development towards abstract painting
In the 1930s, Bissier took the decisive step towards abstraction. During National Socialism, his art was considered “degenerate”, which severely restricted his exhibition opportunities in Germany. These external circumstances and the political oppression led him to concentrate even more on the inner values of his art. He developed a reduced, meditative visual language that increasingly relied on symbols and abstract forms.
During this phase, he created his famous small-format tempera paintings, which are often characterized by a spiritual and contemplative mood. The compositions consist of delicate color tones and precise, calligraphic forms that radiate a deep inner harmony. Bissier himself sees his art as an expression of a spiritual process and a meditation on the fundamental forms of existence.
Late work and international recognition
In the 1950s, Bissier achieved international recognition, particularly in Switzerland and Italy, where his works were shown in important galleries and museums. His exploration of the monotype, a printing technique in which each picture is unique, and his “miniature” paintings were particularly well received. These small-format works testify to an extreme reduction and concentrate on the essence of form and color.
In 1955, Bissier took part in documenta 1 in Kassel, which further consolidated his importance in the modern art world. He was recognized as one of the leading German artists of the post-war period, who significantly influenced modern art with his clear, reduced visual language and spiritual approach. His works from this period radiate a calm and serenity that is typical of his late phase.
His late work is strongly influenced by his passion for calligraphy and Asian philosophy. Bissier creates a symbiosis of Western abstraction and Eastern meditation art, which comes to fruition in his minimalist works consisting of simple but profound forms.
Final years and legacy
In the last years of his life, Bissier lived in Ascona, Switzerland, where he continued to be active as an artist. His late works are characterized by an even greater reduction and embody what he describes as a “meditation on the essential”. These works reveal Bissier's continuous search for a harmony between form and emptiness, which he subtly expresses in his works.
Julius Bissier died in Ascona on June 18, 1965. His artistic work, which had undergone a transformation over decades from figurative painting to abstract, spiritually influenced art, is now recognized as a unique contribution to modern art history. He leaves behind a legacy that is characterized above all by his meditative visual language, reduced to the essentials. Today, Bissier's works can be found in the world's most important museums, and his influence on modern art, particularly on artists who explore the connection between art and spirituality, remains palpable to this day.
Exhibitions
- 10.05.2023 – 23.07.2023 Julius Bissier für die Sammlung - Museum für Neue Kunst, Freiburg.
- 24.03.2023 – 06.05.2023 Schön hier ...! / 20 Jahre Galerie Schlichtenmaier am Kleinen Schlossplatz - Galerie Schlichtenmaier, Stuttgart.
- 08.11.2022 – 16.12.2022 A Matter of Age? The Peter Scott Gallery Collection - Peter Scott Gallery, Lancaster University.
- 14.10.2022 – 19.02.2023 Germany in the 1920s - Neue Sachlichkeit - Louisiana Museum, Humlebaek.
Awards
- 1958 Cornelius Prize of the City of Düsseldorf.
- 1961 Appointed honorary member of the Academies of Arts in Berlin and the Academy of Fine Arts in Nuremberg
- 1963 Awarded the honorary title of professor by the state of Baden-Württemberg
Literature
- Julius Bissier und Richard Bampi. Das Freiburger Keramikbild, Maria Schüly, Stuttgart 2023.
- Julius Bissier und Ostasien. Im Raum meiner Imagination, Isabel Herda, Anna Hagedorn, Petersberg 2018.
- Julius Bissier. Die Holzschnitte, Isabelle Bonanati, Herbert Eichhorn, Jutta Fischer, Ostfildern 2013.
Collections
Germany
- Berlin – Hamburger Bahnhof
- Munich – Pinakothek der Moderne
- Freiburg im Breisgau – Augustinermuseum
Schwitzerland
- Basel – Kunstmuseum Basel
- Zürich – Kunsthaus Zürich
France
- Paris – Centre Pompidou
