Hans Fischer (painter)
Hans Fischer | |
|---|---|
 Fischer in 1950 | |
| Born | 6 January 1909 Bern, Switzerland |
| Died | 19 April 1958 (aged 49) Interlaken, Switzerland |
| Other name | Fis |
| Known for | Graphic art, illustration, drawing, murals, stage design |
| Notable work | Pitschi |
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Hans Fischer (6 January 1909 – 19 April 1958), known as Fis, was a Swiss artist and illustrator. He became widely known for writing and illustrating the picture book Pitschi, which was translated into numerous languages. In 1955, he received a graphic art prize at the São Paulo Art Biennial.
Biography
Hans Fischer, known as Fis, was born in Bern on 6 January 1909.[1][2][3] After attending the literary gymnasium in Bern, Fischer went on to the École des beaux-arts et arts industriels in Geneva and the Kunstgewerbeschule in Zürich, where he studied under Otto Meyer-Amden.[1][2] From 1931 to 1932, he lived in Paris, working in advertising and taking evening courses at the Académie Fernand Léger.[1][2] In 1933, he married Bianca Wassmuth.[1] In 1934, he created his first picture book, The Bremen Town Musicians (Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten), for his daughter Ursula.[4]
Fischer returned to Bern, where he worked from 1932 to 1936 as an animation artist, window-display designer and graphic artist.[1] He contributed to several Swiss periodicals, including Nebelspalter, Die Schweiz and Die Weltwoche.[1] In 1937, he completed his first mural, Fische im Netz, at Tierpark Dählhölzli in Bern.[2] He moved to Zürich in the same year and worked as a stage designer for Cabaret Cornichon until 1941.[1] During this period, he produced around 300 stage designs for the cabaret.[2]
From 1944, book illustration became his main field of work.[1] From 1949 until his death, Fischer lived with his family in Feldmeilen, near Zürich.[2] He received first prize at the Mostra di Bianco e Nero in Lugano in 1954[2] and a graphic art prize at the São Paulo Art Biennial in 1955.[1][2] He died in Interlaken on 19 April 1958.[1]
Work
Fischer worked as a graphic artist, draughtsman, children’s book illustrator and author.[2] His practice extended from graphic work and illustration to murals and stage design.[2] In 1948, he published Pitschi, a fable that he both wrote and illustrated.[1][3] The book was later translated into numerous languages.[1] Fischer became widely known for the picture books Pitschi and Der Geburtstag.[4]
His drawings often used humour and fairy-tale imagery.[1] Drawing was central to Fischer’s work, which is marked by delicate linear compositions and imaginative figures drawn from animals, plants and fable.[2] He drew on German fairy tales, La Fontaine’s fables, and Swiss legendary and customary traditions.[2] Over time, his work showed an increasing tendency toward abstraction.[1]
Exhibitions
Fischer had an exhibition at the Kunsthalle Bern in 1945 and exhibited with Ernst Morgenthaler at the Kunstmuseum Chur in 1946–1947.[2] Further solo exhibitions followed at Kunstsalon Wolfsberg in Zürich and the Musée de l’Athénée in Geneva in 1948–1949.[2] In 1952, he participated in the Venice Biennale.[2]
A retrospective was held at Kunsthaus Zürich in 1959.[2] In 2009, Galerie Pendo in Zürich marked Fischer’s centenary with an exhibition of works from three decades.[4]
Gallery
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References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Bhattacharya, Tapan (19 January 2005). "Hans Fischer". Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz (HLS) (in German). Retrieved 3 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Paucic, Sandi (2017). "Hans Fischer". SIKART Lexikon zur Kunst in der Schweiz (in German). Retrieved 3 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Feuchtwanger – Fischer". Band 8 Erni - Fischer (in German). Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter. pp. 612–613. doi:10.1515/9783110964547.254.
- 1 2 3 "Pitschi und mehr". St. Galler Tagblatt (in German). 6 January 2009. Retrieved 4 July 2026.