Julius Bissier 1893 - 1965

Julius Bissier was born in Freiburg-im-Breisgau, Germany in 1893. He moved to Hagnau on Lake Constance in 1939 and continued to make ink and wash paintings and design fabrics but did not exhibit until after WWII. His work was represented in Documenta in Kassel, 1959 and the Venice Biennale in 1960. He moved to Ascona, Switzerland in 1959 and became friends with Arp and Ben Nicholson and died there in 1965.

works in the collection - 1

PAC/087

Bissier was one of the first modern painters to draw his inspiration from Eastern cultures and philosophy. Bissier was introduced to Chinese philosophy in 1927 and began making ink drawings, which combined spontaneity with Taoist meditation. He worked predominantly on paper but later developed techniques with egg and oil tempera that allowed him to work on canvas and textile.

19th February 1959