Werner Baptista
Werner Baptista (born July 24, 1946 in Zurich ; † 2012 in Paris ) was a Swiss artist of Art brut .
life and work
Werner Baptista grew up in a low-income family in Zurich and after school had to help out in a bakery where his father also worked. After completing compulsory schooling , he was hired on a ship at the age of 16, but returned to Zurich after an accident. After trying to write, he began to paint and collage as an autodidact . In 1988 he settled in Paris and lived there first in the bohemian Marais and from 1991 after a brief return to his hometown in the Passy district, largely unnoticed as a freelance artist .
«The milieu of the Parisian street districts is a defining factor for Baptista's artistic work. His living space, the people and their stories are a source of inspiration for the artist. He is interested in migrants, prostitutes, homeless people, transvestites, people who have fallen through every mesh of the social network, but also inequality, exclusion and social injustice. In his works he shows a preference for outsiders, a feeling for the depths of existence and an exceptional ability to portray this milieu. These memories are important not only as a witness of the times, but also as a description of the life of an artist who worked artistically as an outsider and medium on the borders of society until his death in 2012. »
The Museum im Lagerhaus in St. Gallen owns an important group of works from the estate that was transferred from Paris to St. Gallen in 2013, including numerous collages and drawings.
Exhibitions
- 2017 Museum in the warehouse, St. Gallen
Web links
- Biography and work pictures on the website of the museum in the warehouse
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Baptista, Werner |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss Art Brut Painter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 24, 1946 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Zurich |
| DATE OF DEATH | 2012 |
| Place of death | Paris |