Paul Gugelmann

150th anniversary of Olten station

Paul Gugelmann (born May 19, 1929 in Schönenwerd ) is a Swiss artist who became known primarily for his "poetic machines". Most of these machines are owned by a foundation and can be seen in the Paul Gugelmann Museum in Schönenwerd. In addition, Gugelmann created a number of mobile sculptures, mostly as commissioned works, which can be seen in public spaces in various places in Switzerland.

life and work

Paul Gugelmann was born the fifth of seven children. He grew up in a simple working-class family who lived in an apartment in the cloister of the Schönenwerd collegiate church . Like many Schönenwerder, he found his professional home in the Bally shoe factories , where he first worked in the advertising department as a graphic designer and later as a shoe designer. In 1951 he moved to Paris, where he set up and managed a creation studio for his company. He married Erika Huber; a daughter and a son were born of marriage. In his free time he devoted himself to drawing and modeling.

He built his first machine, Piano from 1963, from bronze parts he had bought at a Paris flea market and powered it with a toy steam engine . This was followed by other sculptures powered by steam engines, which are now operated with compressed air . Later he worked with electric motors , hand cranks and spring mechanisms to drive his machines. While the early machines from the 1960s had musical themes and had corresponding titles, Gugelmann took up social, ethical and political issues in his work from the 1970s.

In 1969 Gugelmann returned to Switzerland. He became known as an artist at exhibitions at home and abroad, but continued to work for the Bally shoe factories until his retirement in 1992. His machines are not for sale and have been partly owned by the foundation that runs the Paul Gugelmann Museum in Schönenwerd since 1994, and partly privately owned. Today Gugelmann lives in Gretzenbach .

Remarks

↑ The switch to compressed air took place during an exhibition in the USA. The toy steam engines were rejected because of the fire hazard they pose (alcohol burns in an open flame).

literature

Madeleine Schüpfer : Portrait of the artist Paul Gugelmann . In: Oltner Neujahrsblätter , Vol. 48, 1990, pp. 46-52.
Poetic Machines Paul Gugelmann , Schönenwerd: Paul-Gugelmann-Museum, 2009, ISBN 3-9522617-3-4
Martin Heim: The fantastic world of Paul Gugelmann's poetic machines . In: Oltner Neujahrsblätter , Vol. 71, 2013, pp. 38–39.
Madeleine Schlüpfer: 20 years of the Paul Gugelmann Museum in Schönwerd . In: Oltner Neujahrsblätter , Vol. 74, 2016, pp. 55–57.

Web links

Commons : Paul Gugelmann - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Paul Gugelmann Museum Schönenwerd

personal data
SURNAME	Gugelmann, Paul
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Swiss artist
DATE OF BIRTH	May 19, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH	Schönwerd

[1] The switch to compressed air took place during an exhibition in the USA. The toy steam engines were rejected because of the fire hazard they pose (alcohol burns in an open flame).