| Birth date | 4 August 1904 |
|---|---|
| Death date | 18 February 1985 (aged 80) |
| Death place | Bern, Switzerland |
| Movement | Surrealism |
| Spouse | Beatrice Gutekunst |
Otto Tschumi (4 August 1904 – 18 February 1985) was a Swiss painter, considered one of the most important Swiss surrealists.[1][2]
Biography
Otto Tschumi was born on 4 August 1904 in Bittwil, near Seeberg to Otto Tshcumi and Anna Burkhalter Tschumi.[3] His father was a coachman and his mother was a seamstress. Tschumi grew up in modest circumstances in Bern and attended school there.[2] He worked in Nancy, Switzerland as a lithographer but was also able to earn his living as a graphic artist, creating posters, stamps, and other graphics.[2] He was originally self-taught, but began to refine his style after entering an art trade school and receiving guidance from Ernst Link in the 1920s.
In 1933, he married the dancer Beatrice Gutekunst, the daughter of art dealer Richard Gutekunst. From 1936 to 1940, after a short six-month stint in London with his wife, he lived in Paris with Beatrice. Tschumi kept in contact with other prominent surrealists, including Max Ernst, Jean Arp and Alberto Giacometti, throughout his life in Paris.[2] Tschumi returned to Switzerland in 1940, eventually settling in Bern.[3]
Tschumi died on 18 February 1985 in Bern, near Wolfisberg.[3]
References
- ^ Notice de personne "Tschumi, Otto (1904-1985)" [Person notice "Tschumi, Otto (1904-1985)"] (in French). Bibliothèque nationale de France. 2 September 1988. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ "Otto Tschumi - SKETCHLINE". thesketchline.com. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
- ^ Bhattacharya, Tapan. "Otto Tschumi" (in German). Historical Dictionary of Switzerland. Retrieved 5 May 2026.