Description
Erni Hans (1909-2015)
A Swiss artist originally from Lucerne, he approached the art world (and graphics in particular) in the Swiss city thanks to an apprenticeship as a draughtsman. At the age of 19, he moved to Paris where he won the annual competition of the Académie Julian and frequented Braque and Picasso. In the 1930s he made several trips to Europe and adhered to the poetics of abstractionism, developing themes of the body, technology, sport and mythology from a humanistic perspective. A convinced pacifist, he has received commissions from numerous bodies and organisations at home and abroad, including the UN and IOC, and has been awarded various international prizes.
Today, he is known worldwide for his prolific work as a painter, sculptor and engraver: in the course of decades of work, he has created countless lithographs, several series of postage stamps and around 300 posters and murals; he has also illustrated dozens of non-fiction books, encyclopaedias and literary works. In 1979, his hometown dedicated a permanent museum to him.
ABOUT THE WORK
From the German ‘Erkennen’, to be recognised, the work is inhabited by two protagonists who seem to be holding hands, exchanging a glance. It is not known what meaning the artist intended to convey, but it could be read as the attunement and recognition of these two characters, who seem to find each other with a glance.
