Hans Erni

HANS ERNI (Lucerne, Switzerland, 1909 - 2015).
"Classical Figures."
Tempera on paper.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 50 x 65 cm; 71 x 85,5 cm (frame).

Hans Erni studied art between France and Berlin and developed in various disciplines, excelling in painting, sculpture, graphic design and illustration. His first recognized public success was a mural entitled "People's Holiday Land", commissioned and exhibited for the national exhibition in Zurich. Erni was commissioned by the Museum of Fine Arts in Lucerne to organize an exhibition of Pablo Picasso, whom he deeply admired. Although he was a soldier in the Swiss army during World War II, he also devoted himself to painting. Between 1950 and 1952 he participated in exhibitions in Latin America. In 1960 he organized together with Alfred Pauletto, Celestino Piatti, Hugo Wetli and Kurt Wirth an exhibition in Olten on graphic design and painting. In 1993 his works were exhibited at the Pence Gallery in San Francisco. In 2004, he was awarded honorary citizenship of the city of Lucerne. On January 10, 2009 he received the SwissAward for Lifetime Achievement. In his career, he produced around 300 posters and several murals, for the Red Cross, the IOC, the United Nations, ICAO, and many public and private endeavors. He illustrated approximately 200 books and created 90 postage stamps and 25 medals. The Hans Erni Museum, located on the grounds of the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne, contains a large collection of his artwork.