Varlin

Varlin (* March 16 1900 as Willy Guggenheim in Zürich; † 1977 in Bondo, canton GR) was a Jewish Swiss painter.

His position in Swiss art history of the 20th century is exceptional: Varlin wasn’t influenced by avantgardist and abstract movements of his time, he coined his stand-alone own figurative work, that was about the fragility of every day life.

Varlin was friends with Hugo Loetscher and Friedrich Dürrenmatt, he even painted them.

Life

When he was 12, his father died, 2 months after his older sister. Moved to St. Gallen. High school, vocational school, an apprenticeship (1 ½ years) as a lithographer. Was in touch with
Senefelder-stones, that Manet, Daumier, Gavarni, Toulouse-Lautrec used, too. Lithographing is a hard and long-winded work – he has sworn to never again make a lithography. He mostly didn’t break this vow, with little expections.Went to Berlin in 1921, became student of the school of arts. 1923, Paris, where he stayed for 11 years. Entered Académie Julian. Wanted to work fort the enterprise „Risacher“ in Faubourg Montmartre, but had to go:They reportedly said, he weren’t even able to sharp a pencil.Began making humoristic drawings for humoristig papers, that rather had to be obscene than beautiful. Exhibited at «Salon des Humoristes». Rented atelier at rue de Vanves. Discovered by Zborovski, who found, that the Name “Guggenheim” didn’t promise success. The name “Varlin” was found.Zborovski rented an atelier in la Ruche for him, where Archipenko, Soutine, Chagall and Léger were, too. Exhibition in Galerie Sloden, Faubourg St-Honoré, with big success. 1932: Zborovskis dies. 1935: travels back to Switzerland with mother and sister, lives for 35 years in Wollishofen.His Wollishofen flat serves as an atelier for 2 years. Rents atelier in abandoned house, where he lives withpainter Leo Leuppi, a Danish guy named Olsen, Gusti Vogt, the sculptor Louis Conne, and the sculptors Hans Hippele and Meinrad Marti, that died too young. Thanks to a guru of arts named Righini he gets an official stipend, that he first didn’t get. Later he had an atelier in an old farmer house. Lived as a slacker, hated military orders.Travelled to Venice, where the masses of water reportedly seduced him to drink alcohol.With 60 years, he finally had the chance to exhibit at his hometown’s museum, the “Kunsthaus Zürich”

Pictures

* Die "Porte Guillaume" in Chartres 1931
* Restaurant am Genfersee 1936-1945
* Augenklinik in Zürich um 1940
* Ma mère 1943
* Clochard de Paris um 1944
* Albertbrücke mit Themse 1955
* Banco di Roma 1960
* Zita um 1970
* Das Bett 1970-1975
* Der Schauspieler Ernst Schröder auf dem Bett um 1972
* Winter in Bondo um 1974
* Erna 1974
* Selbstbildnis 1975
* Die Leute meines Dorfes 1975-1976

Media

* „Varlin-Dürrenmatt Horizontal“ Hrsg.: Centre Dürrenmatt Neuchâtel, Verlag Scheidegger und Spiess, Zürich, 2005; im Buchhandel erhältlich

* „Varlin“, Prod.: Alfi Sinniger, Catpics AG; Kamera: Pio Corradi; Schweiz 2000; 80 Min. DVD beim Varlin-Archiv erhältlich

* “Varlin a Bondo”; a cura di Mathias Picenoni, Patrizia Guggenheim e Vincenzo Todisco, Quaderni grigionitaliani, Fasciolo speciale Edizione della Pro Grigioni Italiano, Coira, dicembre 2000

* “Varlin, Leben und Werk“ entspricht Band 1 des Werkverzeichnisses; Verlag Scheidegger und Spiess, Zürich, 2000; vergriffen
* “Varlin, Werkverzeichnis der Bilder“ Hrsg.: Schweizerischer Institut für Kunstwissenschaft; 2 Bände mit CD-Rom; Verlag Scheidegger und Spiess, Zürich, 2000; beim Verlag erhältlich

* “Wenn ich dichten könnte“ Hrsg.: Patrizia Guggenheim und Tobias Eichelberg; Verlag Scheidegger und Spiess, Zürich, 1998; beim Verlag erhältlich

* “Briefe und Schriften“ Hrsg.: Franca Guggenheim und Peter Keckeis; Verlag NZZ, Zürich, 1989; vergriffen
* “wie er schrieb und zeichnete“ Hrsg.: Hugo Loetscher; GS-Verlag, Zürich 1983; vergriffen

* „Varlin“ Texte: Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Max Frisch, Jürg Fedespiel, Manuel Gasser, Hugo Loetscher, Paul Nizon, Giovanni Testori, Varlin; Varlag Scheidegger, Zürich 1978; vergriffen

* „Varlin. Der Maler und sein Werk“ Hrsg.: Hugo Loetscher Texte: Manuel Gasser, Varlin, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Max Frisch, Hugo Loetscher, Paul Nizon; Verlag Arche, Zürich 1969; vergriffen

Links

* http://www.varlin.ch

Persondata
NAME=Guggenheim, Willy
ALTERNATIVE NAME= Varlin
SHORT DESCRIPTION=swiss painter
DATE OF BIRTH=March 16 1900
PLACE OF BIRTH=Zürich
DATE OF DEATH= 1977
PLACE OF DEATH=Bondo