Society of Swiss Painters and Sculptors

Exhibition poster of the Fritz Boscovits Society , 1917

The Society of Swiss Painters and Sculptors (GSMB), or Société des peintres et sculpteurs suisses (SPSS) was founded on May 1, 1866 in Geneva with the aim of advocating for the interests of performing artists, organizing exhibitions and influencing the Swiss To practice art politics. With the addition of architects from 1906 onwards, the name of the society was changed to GSMBA (Society of Swiss Painters, Sculptors and Architects). The GSMBA is divided into sections that have a certain degree of autonomy. The central president of the GSMBA between 1912 and his death in 1918 was the painter Ferdinand Hodler .

After many years of trials and attempts, the "Support Fund for Swiss Visual Artists" was founded in 1914.

Since the GSMBA refused to accept female artists as active members until 1972, the Society of Swiss Painters, Sculptors and Craftsmen GSMBK was founded in 1907 .

After several years of negotiations, the “Professional Association of Visual Art” (visarte) was launched in 2001 as a successor organization that represents the interests of visual artists on a political and social level with contemporary structures and statutes.

Members of the former GSMBA (selection)

• Cuno Amiet
• August Babberger
• Jakob Probst
• Max Buri
• Alois Carigiet
• August Cueni
• Wilhelm Balmer , Central President
• Hans Emmenegger , President of the Lucerne Section
• Paul Freiburghaus
• Giovanni Giacometti
• Ferdinand Hodler , Central President 1912 until his death in 1918
• Knud Jacobsen
• Carl August Liner , Central President 1928 to 1931
• Ernst Morgenthaler
• Max von Mühlenen
• Alexandre Perrier , President of the Geneva Section from 1917
• Clara Porges
• Sigismund Righini , Central President from 1921
• Jacques Schedler
• Fred Stauffer
• Victor Surbek , President of the Bern Section
• Marguerite Frey-Surbek
• Roman Tschabold

literature

• Konrad Bitterli: GSMB , Schweizer Kunst, 1999, pp. 20–33
• Konrad Bitterli: The Berner GSMBA , Swiss Art, 1999, pp. 34–64
• Konrad Bitterli: Basler Kunst im Spiegel der GSMBA , Ed. Reinhardt F., 2008, ISBN 9783724506997
• Regine Helbling, Alex Meszmer: How the GSMBA became visarte , Schweizer Kunst, 2015, pp. 46–59

Web links

• GSMBA In: E-Periodica
• Website successor organization visarte

Individual evidence

1. ^ 1914, foundation of the relief fund
2. ↑ The first GSMBA cash book from 1865