Hans Erni facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hans Erni
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1967
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| Born | February 21, 1909 Lucerne, Switzerland
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| Died | March 21, 2015 (aged 106) Lucerne, Switzerland
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| Occupation | Painter and sculptor |
Hans Erni (born February 21, 1909 – died March 21, 2015) was a famous Swiss artist. He was a graphic designer, painter, illustrator, engraver, and sculptor. He created many different types of art throughout his very long life.
Hans Erni was born in Lucerne, Switzerland. He was the third of eight children. His father worked as an engineer on boats. Hans studied art in Paris and Berlin. He looked up to other famous artists like Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.
He is well-known for many things. He designed postage stamps and made lithographs (a type of print) for the Swiss Red Cross. He also worked with the Olympic Committee and was an activist. One of his first big successes was a large painting (mural) in 1939. It was called "Switzerland: Vacation Land of the People" and was shown at a national exhibition in Zürich.
The Hans Erni Museum is in Lucerne, inside the Swiss Museum of Transport. It has a big collection of his art. He also designed ceramics and even costumes and sets for plays. In the 1940s, he designed art for Swiss bank notes. But these notes were never used because some people thought he had certain political ideas, even though he was never part of any political party. In 2004, he was made an honorary citizen of Lucerne. In 2009, he received the SwissAward for his amazing work over his lifetime.
Throughout his career, Hans Erni made about 300 posters and many murals. Some of these murals were for big events and organizations like the Geneva Auto Show in 1980, the Red Cross, the IOC, the United Nations, and the ICAO. He also illustrated around 200 books, designed 90 postage stamps, and created 25 medals.
Hans Erni's Art Career
Hans Erni had a long and interesting art career. The Lucerne Museum of Fine Arts asked him to organize an art show for Pablo Picasso. Picasso was very thankful for this chance to show his art in Switzerland. In 1936, Erni started to create abstract art, which uses shapes and colors instead of realistic pictures.
From 1940 to 1945, he was a soldier in the Swiss army. He used his skills with large paintings to help as a camouflage painter. In 1948, he took part in the painting competitions at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
Between 1950 and 1952, his art was shown in exhibitions in Latin America. However, a Swiss government official named Philipp Etter did not allow him to participate in an art show called the Biennale in São Paulo. After visiting Mauritania and Guinea, he painted many artworks about African topics. In 1960, he helped organize an exhibition in Olten about graphic design and painting with other artists. He also participated in the 1964 Documenta exhibition in Kassel, showing his graphic designs.
On September 15, 1979, the Swiss Museum of Transport opened a large collection of Erni's works. He even created a huge 30-meter-long mural for the museum. Erni loved sports and received an award in 1989 as the sport artist of the year from the United States Sports Academy. In 1993, his art was shown at the Pence Gallery in San Francisco.
Later Life and Legacy
Hans Erni celebrated his 100th birthday in 2009. He lived a very long life, passing away on March 21, 2015, at the age of 106. His first wife, Gertrud Bohnert, passed away in a horse-riding accident. They had one daughter, Simone Fornara Erni, who also became an artist. With his second wife, Doris, he had a son and two daughters.
Besides the Swiss Museum of Transport, Hans Erni's artwork can be found in many other museums around the world. These include the Museum of Modern Art, the American Sport Art Museum and Archives, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Rose Art Museum, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the University of Michigan Museum of Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Ackland Art Museum, the Harvard Art Museums, the Hammer Museum, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. His art continues to inspire people globally.
Images for kids
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Circus Knie fountain located at the so-called Duftrosengarten in Rapperswil
See also
In Spanish: Hans Erni para niños
