Leo Leuppi (1893–1972) was a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

graphic artist A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, p ...

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

, and he was a representative of the ''Zürcher Schule der Konkreten''. He was a founder of the avant-garde artists' associations ''Groupe Suisse Abstraction et Surréalisme'' and ''

Allianz Allianz ( , ) is a German multinational financial services company headquartered in Munich, Germany. Its core businesses are insurance and asset management. The company is one of the world's largest insurers and financial services groups. The ...

''.

Life

Leo Leuppi came from a peasant family with many children. From 1910 to 1914 he attended the class for graphic arts at the

Kunstgewerbeschule A Kunstgewerbeschule (English: ''School of Arts and Crafts'' or S''chool of Applied Arts'') was a type of vocational arts school that existed in German-speaking countries from the mid-19th century. The term Werkkunstschule was also used for thes ...

in Zurich. At the end of the First World War he made contact with the

Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (Zurich), Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 192 ...

movement and became friends with

Jean Arp Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp (16 September 1886 – 7 June 1966), better known as Jean Arp in English, was a German-French sculptor, painter, and poet. He was known as a Dadaist and an abstract artist. Early life Arp was born in Straßburg (now Stras ...

. In 1934 he founded the ''Groupe Suisse Abstraction et Surréalisme'' to help the modern art movements break through to cultural institutions. In 1936 Leuppi was presented progressive Swiss artists to the wider public for the first time with the exhibition ''Zeitprobleme in der Schweizer Malerei und Plastik''. In 1937, together with

Richard Paul Lohse Richard Paul Lohse (September 13, 1902 – September 16, 1988) was a Swiss painter and graphic artist and one of the main representatives of the concrete and constructive art movements. Lohse was born in Zürich in 1902. His wish to study in Par ...

, he launched ''Die Allianz'', an association of modern Swiss artists. After many exhibitions, in 1954 Leuppi resigned as president of ''Allianz''. He was a colleague of

Anna Indermaur Anna Indermaur (28 January 1894 – 23 October 1980) was a Swiss painter, sculptor, interior decorator, and filmmaker. She was the first woman film director in Switzerland. Biography Indermaur was born on 28 January 1894 in Rheineck. She was ...

, who was a member of both ''Die Allianz'' and ''Groupe Suisse Abstraction et Surréalisme''. From 1959 to 1960 Leuppi taught experimental design in the Fashion Department at the School of Applied Arts in Zurich. In 1963 he gave up his studio on Mühlebachstrasse in Zurich and moved to Krankenheim Bombach, Höngg.

Work

Leuppi was one of the most important pioneers of modern art in Switzerland. His ability to present ''Die Allianz'', in which representatives of opposing art movements such as constructivism, concrete art and surrealism merged, was also reflected in his own work: combining the undogmatic style of constructive principles with surrealistic moments. The cubism of Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and Juan Gris led Leuppi to abstraction. From 1937 to 1947, his works were characterized by a constructive nature, where it differs from

Max Bill Max Bill (22 December 1908 – 9 December 1994) was a Swiss architect, artist, painter, typeface designer, industrial designer and graphic designer. Early life and education Bill was born in Winterthur. After an apprenticeship as a silversmith ...

Sophie Taeuber-Arp Sophie Henriette Gertrud Taeuber-Arp (; 19 January 1889 – 13 January 1943) was a Swiss artist, painter, sculptor, textile designer, furniture and interior designer, architect, and dancer. Born in 1889 in Davos, and raised in Trogen, Switzerlan ...

. Walter Bodmer and Jean Arp were inspired by his work. Leuppi is also well known for his public artworks such as the iron sculpture on the façade of the Migros building in

Thun , neighboring_municipalities= Amsoldingen, Heiligenschwendi, Heimberg, Hilterfingen, Homberg, Schwendibach, Spiez, Steffisburg, Thierachern, Uetendorf, Zwieselberg , twintown = , website = www.thun.ch Thun (french: Thoune) ...

(1955), the wall mosaic at Schulhaus Kolbenacker in Zürich (1955–57) and the mural in the entrance hall of Alterssiedlung Gsteigstrasse in

Höngg Höngg is a quarter in district 10 in Zürich. It was formerly a municipality of its own, having been incorporated into Zürich in 1934. The quarter has a population of 21,186, distributed across an area of 6.98 km². Höngg is renowned f ...

(1956–57).

References

* ''Almanach neuer Kunst in der Schweiz''. Text: Max Bill et al., Hrsg.: «Allianz» Vereinigung moderner Schweizer Künstler. Zürich 1940. * ''Leo Leuppi''. Zürich, Arteba Galerie, 1993. Konzept: Sonja Lüthi. Zürich, 1993. * Brigit Blass: ''Leo Leuppi und die Anfänge der Künstlergruppe «Allianz» (1929–1947).'' Lizentiat Universität Zürich, 1982. * ''Leo Leuppi''. Helmhaus Zürich, 1980. Text: Willy Rotzler. Zürich 1980 * ''Leo Leuppi''. Henry Wabel. Kunsthaus Zürich, 1962

External links

''Leo Leuppi''
at

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''Biography''
at Hanina Fine Arts * * 20th-century Swiss painters Swiss male painters 1893 births 1972 deaths Swiss sculptors Concrete art 20th-century sculptors 20th-century Swiss male artists {{Switzerland-painter-stub