Paul Boesch (artist)

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Paul Boesch (born June 4, 1889 in Freiburg im Üechtland ; † June 18, 1969 in Bern ) was a Swiss artist , graphic artist and illustrator .

Life

Paul Boesch was born in 1889 as the son of the businessman Karl August Boesch (1866–1930) and Catherine Marie Fragnière (1863–1958). He grew up in Lausanne and Basel . After graduating from high school , he studied art history at the University of Zurich and painting at the Académie Humbert in Paris . In 1914 he had to break off his studies as a result of the outbreak of the First World War . In 1915 he was called to Bern as an officer. During this time he created maps and illustrations on Swiss war history (1916–1935) and coats of arms for soldiers' homes in Dübendorf and Ifenthal . He also designed a steel helmet for the Swiss Army .

After resigning from the army, Paul Boesch married Gertrud Bleuler (1893–1989) in 1918 and became a woodcut teacher at the Bern trade school. He also worked as a painter , graphic artist and illustrator. The main focus of his work was on the one hand glass paintings , church windows , coats of arms and stand panes , on the other hand commercial graphics and book illustrations . In 1939 a large mural on the economic history of Switzerland was created for the Swiss National Exhibition .  

Paul Boesch is considered to be an important innovator in Swiss heraldry . Since 1924 he was a member of the Swiss Heraldry Society and was a member of its board for over 40 years. He was also on heraldic publications as Hag -Sammelalben The crest of Switzerland (1928ff.) And the crests of the Civic Community of Bern in 1932, significantly involved. In addition, he created a large number of bookplates and coats of arms for private and public clients.

For his life's work, Paul Boesch received honorary citizenship rights from the civic community of Bern in 1968. His estate is in the Bern Burger Library .

On the initiative of Paul Boesch's daughter, Liselotte Boesch (1919–2011), the Paul Boesch Foundation was founded in 2014 to support young artists and art students in developing their work. The "Paul Boesch Prize" is awarded once a year to the work of a Swiss artist in the field of fine arts. In addition, the foundation awards sponsorship prizes and grants to students at the Bern and Biel School of Design.

literature

  • Maria Becker: Paul Boesch. A Swiss artist and illustrator. Wabern 2017, ISBN 978-3-907663-50-9 .
  • Biographical lexicon of Swiss art. Dictionnaire biographique de lart suisse. Dizionario biografico dell'arte svizzera. Ed .: Swiss Institute for Art Research. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Zurich 1998, volume 1, p. 133.
  • Claudia Engler: Paul Boesch - an (almost) forgotten artist from Bern. In: BrunneZytig. Vol. 33, Issue 1, 2017, pp. 4–5.
  • Karl Hänecke-Meier: Catalog on the work of Paul Boesch 1889-1969. Painter, graphic artist, heraldist. Compiled by Karl Hänecke-Meier using directories, notes and photo collections by Gertrud Boesch-Bleuler. Bern 1992.
  • Bruno Bernhard Heim: Heraldic woodcuts. Published under the patronage of the Swiss Heraldic Society by Gertrud Boesch-Bleuler. Train 1974.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Photo of the work at the 1939 national exhibition in the ETH picture archive: doi.org/10.3932/ethz-a-000020659
  2. ^ Maria Becker: Paul Boesch. A Swiss artist and illustrator . Wabern 2017, ISBN 978-3-907663-50-9 , pp. 23 .
  3. ^ Paul Boesch's estate in the Bern Burger Library catalog
  4. ^ Website of the Paul Boesch Foundation. Retrieved June 2, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Boesch, Paul
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss artist
DATE OF BIRTH June 4, 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH Freiburg in Üechtland
DATE OF DEATH June 18, 1969
Place of death Bern