Félix Vallotton

Félix Édouard Vallotton, born in Lausanne in 1865 as the son of a druggist and a rather modest housewife, moved to Paris at the age of 17, where he began his art education at the École des Beaux Arts. In addition to his artistic debates, Vallotton's activities as a writer and critic are rather unknown: his literary work includes three novels, various plays and many reviews and contributions in various magazines and publications of his time.
As a member of the "Nabis", Vallotton, together with his friends Édouard Vuillard, Pierre Bonnard and Maurice Denis, had an interest in symbolism, but also in the virtuoso use of colours and - above all clearly visible in his numerous woodcuts - a fascination for the then modern Japonism. His works occupy a special position within the Nabis group and Vallotton's visionary imagery can be regarded as a pioneer of Surrealism and the new objectivity: Vallotton's portraits and nudes captivate with their unadulterated authenticity in a straightforward and almost indecent manner.
For example, the generous, autoerotic and exhibitionist depiction of a bather in the painting Das Bad at his exhibition at the Salon des Indépendants in Paris in 1893 becomes a social scandal and at the same time leads to his first artistic climax.
In 1899 Vallotton marries the daughter of the influential art dealer Alexandre Bernheim, which opens doors for him in Parisian society and at the same time ensures his financial independence. From then on he has the opportunity to devote himself more to his painting. A year later, Félix Vallotton became a French citizen.
The art collectors Arthur and Hedy Hahnloser-Bühler from Winterthur, who began to build up their collection in 1908, acquired numerous works by Vallotton for their collection at Villa Flora Winterthur in addition to Bonnard. A personal contact developed and Vallotton became the artistic advisor to the couple in building up the collection, and a private friendship developed. This was followed in 1910 by his first solo exhibition in Switzerland at the Zurich Kunsthaus, which was not made accessible to young people due to the scandalous freedom of movement of his works.
In the wake of the First World War, cold, inhumanity and the horror of war became increasingly the theme of his works. During his travels to the south, which he usually undertakes in the winter months from 1920 onwards due to health problems, Vallotton works a lot; in the summer months, which he spends mainly in Honfleur, the 40 spectacular pictures of sunsets are taken. He died in Paris in December 1925 after a cancer operation at the age of 60.
The most fascinating thing for today's observer and lover of his painting is sometimes a very own metaphysical component in many of his paintings.

In 2008, the solo exhibition Félix Vallotton at Villa Flora was dedicated to the works with which the artist is represented in the Hahnloser Collection. In 2013, Peinture. Félix Vallotton & Alex Katz at the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts in his birthplace Lausanne and one year later the exhibition was Félix Vallotton. Le feu sous la glace / Félix Vallotton. Fire beneath the Ice at the Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris, the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam and the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo.