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Hans Erni | |
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_by_Erling_Mandelmann.jpg) 1967 | |
| Born | (1909-02-21)February 21, 1909 Lucerne, Switzerland |
| Died | March 21, 2015(2015-03-21) (aged 106) Lucerne, Switzerland |
| Occupation(s) | Painter and sculptor |
Hans Erni (February 21, 1909 – March 21, 2015) was a Swiss graphic designer, painter, illustrator, engraver and sculptor.
Born inLucerne, the third of eight siblings, to a cabin cruiser engineer, he studied art at theAcadémie Julian inParis and later inBerlin,[1] and admired artists such asPablo Picasso andGeorges Braque.[2]
He is known for having illustratedpostage stamps, his lithographs for the SwissRed Cross, his participation on theOlympic Committee as well as his activism.[3] His 1939 works and first major public success was a mural titled Switzerland: "Vacation Land of the People" was commissioned and displayed for the national exhibition inZürich.
The Hans Erni Museum, situated in the grounds of the Swiss Museum of Transport inLucerne, contains a large collection of artwork, he also designed ceramics and theatre costumes and sets. He did the art for Swiss bank notes, in the 1940s but, after the notes were already printed they were never published, because a member of the State Council of Lucerne criticized that Erni was deemed as acommunist. However, Erni was never a member of any political party. In 2004, he was awarded thehonorary citizenship of the city ofLucerne. On 10 January 2009 he received theSwissAward for lifetime accomplishment.
In his career, he realized about 300posters and severalmurals — including for the 1980Salon international de l'automobile,Red Cross,IOC,United Nations andICAO.
He illustrated about 200 books and created 90 postage stamps and 25medals.[4][5]
Erni was commissioned by the Lucerne Museum Fine Arts to organize an exhibit aboutPablo Picasso. The Spanish artist remained grateful for that opportunity to show his art in Switzerland. In 1936 Erni started to work withabstract art. From 1940 to 1945 he was a soldier in the Swiss army and was engaged as acamouflage painter because of his experience with large-size murals. In 1948, he was a competitor in the 1948 Summer Olympics'painting competitions.[6][7] Between 1950 and 1952 he participated to exhibitions inLatin America. However, his participation in theBiennale ofSão Paulo was not authorized byFederal CouncillorPhilipp Etter. After a stay inMauritania andGuinea he painted African topics. In 1960 he organized with Alfred Pauletto,Celestino Piatti, Hugo Wetli and Kurt Wirth an exhibition inOlten aboutgraphic design and painting. He participated to the 1964Documenta exhibition inKassel, in thegraphic design department.[8][9]
On 15 September 1979 theSwiss Museum of Transport opened a large personal collection of Erni's works. He realized a 30 meter long mural for the Museum. Erni was very interested in sport and received theUnited States Sports Academy award of sport artist of the year in 1989. In 1993 his works were exhibited at the Pence Gallery inSan Francisco.
He celebrated his100th birthday in 2009. His sister, Maria Strebi-Erni (January 14, 1907 – January 29, 2014), died at the age of 107.[10]Erni died on March 21, 2015, aged 106. His first wife,Gertrud Bohnert, had died in a horse-riding accident. They had one daughter, artist Simone Fornara Erni. With his second wife, Doris, he had a son and two daughters.[11]
Apart from the Swiss Museum of Transport, his work is held in several other museums worldwide, including theMuseum of Modern Art,[12] theAmerican Sport Art Museum and Archives,[13] theSmithsonian American Art Museum,[14] theRose Art Museum,[15] theFine Arts Museums of San Francisco,[16] theMinneapolis Institute of Art,[17] theUniversity of Michigan Museum of Art,[18] theDallas Museum of Art,[19] theBrooklyn Museum,[20] theAckland Art Museum,[21] theHarvard Art Museums,[22] theHammer Museum,[23] and theCleveland Museum of Art.[24]
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