Ricco Wassmer
Encyclopedia
Ricco Wassmer (October 13, 1915 – March 27, 1972) was a Swiss painter.
, which was filled with art and culture. Max and Tilli-Wassmer-Zurlinden socialised with poets, painters and composers such as Hermann Hesse
, Louis Moilliet
, Cuno Amiet
, and Othmar Schoeck
. Early on Erich Wassmer was interested in the art of painting. The family encouraged his artistic talent and his interest in art, literature and music, after the continuation of the parental cement factory had been secured by his two brothers. Wassmer marked the end of his childhood with a new name: From 1937 onwards Erich Wassmer signed his paintings with Ricco - a name like a magic word - laying off the name of his well-known industrialist and philanthropist father. Ricco studied in Munich
and Paris
, and was taught by Cuno Amiet
. However, the influence of his teachers remained marginal. Ricco was fascinated by the sea, as well as by the desire to explore lost paradises and undiscovered territories. He had the symbol of an anchor tattooed on his arm and added this symbol henceforth to his signature on his paintings. During the forties, he crossed the ocean on a freighter, and lived for a while in Tahiti
. In the fifties he settled at Bompré Castle near Vichy
. In 1963, the French police discovered photos of nude boys in his studio, who served as the basis for his paintings. A French court convicted him - without a formal indictment - of sexual "exploitation" of young boys and breach of the morality to eight-months in prison. Ricco never recovered completely from this prison sentence. Following his release, Ricco returned to Switzerland and settled in a mansion in Ropraz. He died in 1972 at the age of 56. Until his death Ricco Wassmer remained a family shareholder in the Portland-Cement-Werke AG.
, while his mature work includes still-lifes, harbor scenes, exotic motifs and allegorical
figures. He often painted dream worlds in the style of magic realism
with lean boys surrounded by surreal arrangements. Ricco's paintings reveal his longing for a state of androgynous, youthful perfection.
Life
Erich Wassmer was born in upper-class circumstances as the son of cement factory owner and art patron Max Wassmer (1887-1970). Since the age of 3 he grew up at Bremgarten Castle near BerneBerne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
, which was filled with art and culture. Max and Tilli-Wassmer-Zurlinden socialised with poets, painters and composers such as Hermann Hesse
Hermann Hesse
Hermann Hesse was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature...
, Louis Moilliet
Louis Moilliet
Louis Moilliet was an artist from Switzerland who was noted as a painter and stained glass designer. He was lifelong friends with fellow artists Paul Klee and August Macke, spending time painting and traveling with them in Tunisia 1914 and introducing Klee into the group Der Blaue Reiter earlier...
, Cuno Amiet
Cuno Amiet
Cuno Amiet was a Swiss painter, illustrator, graphic artist and sculptor. As the first Swiss painter to give precedence to colour in composition, he was a pioneer of modern art in Switzerland.-Biography:...
, and Othmar Schoeck
Othmar Schoeck
Othmar Schoeck was a Swiss composer and conductor.He was known mainly for his considerable output of art songs and song cycles, though he also wrote a number of operas and instrumental compositions including two string quartets and...
. Early on Erich Wassmer was interested in the art of painting. The family encouraged his artistic talent and his interest in art, literature and music, after the continuation of the parental cement factory had been secured by his two brothers. Wassmer marked the end of his childhood with a new name: From 1937 onwards Erich Wassmer signed his paintings with Ricco - a name like a magic word - laying off the name of his well-known industrialist and philanthropist father. Ricco studied in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and was taught by Cuno Amiet
Cuno Amiet
Cuno Amiet was a Swiss painter, illustrator, graphic artist and sculptor. As the first Swiss painter to give precedence to colour in composition, he was a pioneer of modern art in Switzerland.-Biography:...
. However, the influence of his teachers remained marginal. Ricco was fascinated by the sea, as well as by the desire to explore lost paradises and undiscovered territories. He had the symbol of an anchor tattooed on his arm and added this symbol henceforth to his signature on his paintings. During the forties, he crossed the ocean on a freighter, and lived for a while in Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
. In the fifties he settled at Bompré Castle near Vichy
Vichy
Vichy is a commune in the department of Allier in Auvergne in central France. It belongs to the historic province of Bourbonnais.It is known as a spa and resort town and was the de facto capital of Vichy France during the World War II Nazi German occupation from 1940 to 1944.The town's inhabitants...
. In 1963, the French police discovered photos of nude boys in his studio, who served as the basis for his paintings. A French court convicted him - without a formal indictment - of sexual "exploitation" of young boys and breach of the morality to eight-months in prison. Ricco never recovered completely from this prison sentence. Following his release, Ricco returned to Switzerland and settled in a mansion in Ropraz. He died in 1972 at the age of 56. Until his death Ricco Wassmer remained a family shareholder in the Portland-Cement-Werke AG.
Work
Ricco's early work (e.g. his paintings of castle life) can be classified as primitivistNaïve art
Naïve art is a classification of art that is often characterized by a childlike simplicity in its subject matter and technique. While many naïve artists appear, from their works, to have little or no formal art training, this is often not true...
, while his mature work includes still-lifes, harbor scenes, exotic motifs and allegorical
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
figures. He often painted dream worlds in the style of magic realism
Magic realism
Magic realism or magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements blend with the real world. The story explains these magical elements as real occurrences, presented in a straightforward manner that places the "real" and the "fantastic" in the same stream of...
with lean boys surrounded by surreal arrangements. Ricco's paintings reveal his longing for a state of androgynous, youthful perfection.
Exhibitions
- 1969 Kunsthalle BernKunsthalle BernThe Kunsthalle Bern is a Kunsthalle on the Helvetiaplatz in Berne, Switzerland.It was built in 1917–1918 by the Kunsthalle Bern Association and opened on October 5, 1918. Since then, it has been the site of numerous expositions of contemporary art...
- 1988 Aargauer Kunsthaus
- 2002/2003 Museum of Fine Arts BerneMuseum of Fine Arts BerneThe Museum of Fine Arts Berne, established in 1879, is the oldest art museum in Switzerland with a permanent collection. Its holdings run from the Middle Ages to contemporary art....
- 2008 Fondation l'Estrée
- 2009 Museum of Fine Arts BerneMuseum of Fine Arts BerneThe Museum of Fine Arts Berne, established in 1879, is the oldest art museum in Switzerland with a permanent collection. Its holdings run from the Middle Ages to contemporary art....
See also
- http://www.kunstmuseumbern.ch/index.cfm?nav=1245,1398,1805&DID=9&SID=2Ricco Catalogue raisonnéCatalogue raisonnéThe typical catalogue raisonné is a monograph giving a comprehensive catalogue of artworks by an artist.The essential elements of a catalogue raisonné are that it purports to be an exhaustive list of works for a defined subject matter describing the works in a way so that they may be reliably...
by Museum of Fine Arts BerneMuseum of Fine Arts BerneThe Museum of Fine Arts Berne, established in 1879, is the oldest art museum in Switzerland with a permanent collection. Its holdings run from the Middle Ages to contemporary art....
] - Ricco Wassmer ~ New Works in the Collection of the Kunstmuseum Bern Opens
- Ricco in the Encyclopedia of the Swiss Institute for Art Research