Friedrich Kuhn (painter, 1926)

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Friedrich Kuhn (born October 5, 1926 in Gretzenbach ; † September 6, 1972 in Zurich ) was a Swiss painter , draftsman and sculptor .

life and work

Kuhn was the son of the wood and stone sculptor Fritz. The family moved to Zurich in 1933, where Kuhn attended schools. He then went on numerous trips abroad and worked in the antiques and art trade.

As a convinced autodidactic artist, Kuhn lived in Bern from 1951 to 1953 . In 1953 he was able to exhibit his pictures, the motifs of the clown, juggler and puppet theater, for the first time in the coach house of the Marcuard Villa on Laupenstrasse in Bern. In the same year he received a federal art grant . At times, Kuhn shared the studio with Lilly Keller and the sculptor and painter Walter Vögeli (1929–2009). Kuhn was a master of self-staging and his happenings were legendary. In 1960 he received a Kiefer-Hablitzel scholarship.

From 1954 Kuhn lived in Zurich in the Künstlerhaus on Kruggasse, later on Brotgasse. Starting in 1957, a group of works was created which Paul Nizon described as "overgrown furniture". Nizon also coined the term “Zurich School of the Little Crazy World ” to which Kuhn, Fred Engelberg Knecht , Pierre Baltensberger , Alex Sadkowsky as well as Varlin and Muz Zeier belonged.

Kuhn was especially revered as a "color painter" who mastered a wide range of colors. In 1958, Kuhn shared a studio with Otto Müller and the painter, draftsman, sculptor and jazz trombonist Muz Zeier on Wuhrstrasse in Zurich.

From 1964 onwards, Kuhn's fantastically surreal pictures, collages and assemblages show a preference for palm tree motifs and pin-ups . The fact that the palm tree is not only a catchy, but also formally easily modifiable motif, inspired him to use it as a trademark or to rework it into a branded article. His works made him an antithesis to the Zurich Concretists. Kuhn's closeness to Pop Art was evident in the collage elements used, such as cut-out lettering and logos, stencils, images and decals as well as packaging parts.

In cooperation with Alex Sadlowski, the bibliophile portfolio with etchings was published in 1965 Sadlowski greets Kuhn / Kuhn greets Sadlowski . From 1967 onwards several hospital stays followed, interrupted by trips to Sicily and Venice .

In 1963 Kuhn's son Michael was born, in January 1972 Kuhn married Antonia, née Tischhauser. She was the sister of the composer Franz Tischhauser . After another stay in hospital, Kuhn died on September 6, 1972 in Zurich.

Although Kuhn's work represents a high-quality and original contribution to Swiss art, neither official recognition by the professional world nor widespread awareness failed to materialize . Retrospectives took place in the Helmhaus Zurich in 1973 and in 1993 in the Kunsthaus Zug . From 2008 to 2009 the Kunsthaus Zürich devoted a large solo exhibition to Kuhn under the title The Painter as Outlaw .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Kuhn, Friedrich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss painter, draftsman and sculptor
DATE OF BIRTH October 5, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH Gretzenbach
DATE OF DEATH September 6, 1972
Place of death Zurich