Albert Anker (1831–1910) is regarded as the “national painter” of
Switzerland. His meticulous paintings of Swiss rural life endeared him to the
public and during his heyday, he was regarded as the most popular artist. His
works captured the daily and social life of the rustics in the picturesque
villages of Switzerland. While these captured the imagination of the public,
his portraits charmed the critics. Indeed, his portraits and still-lifes are
what cemented his enduring legacy. Unlike many of his contemporaries, his
documentation of the social life of villagers was never judgmental. Rather he
portrayed them as plain and unpretentious. Anker also worked on many
still-lives, which are considered to be among his most important works.
Albert Anker was born in 1831 to Samuel (a vet) and Marianne Anker. He
was the second of the three children. When he was 11 years old, he visited an
exhibition at the Societe des Amis des Arts, in Neuchatel, which kindled in him
an early interest in art. He attended his early schooling from 1845 to 1848 and
also took drawing lessons from Louis Wallinger. He then attended high school at
the Gymnasium Kirchenfield in Bern in 1849 and graduated with a Matura two
years later. Soon after graduation, he went to study theology and did the same
after he moved to the University of Halle, Germany. In Germany, he had the
opportunity to see the vast art collections, which inspired him so much that he
decided to follow an artistic career. In 1854, he convinced his father to give
him permission to do so.
In order to train himself as an artist, he moved to Paris in 1855,
enrolled at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-arts, and joined the
studio of Charles Gleyre, the famous Swiss artist. He trained at the Institute
for five years and during this time, he devoted himself in painting portraits.
During this time, he participated in exhibitions in both Paris and Switzerland
and later worked in a studio that he had set up in the attic of his parents’
house. He was a regular participant in the Paris Salon. In 1861, after
completing his training at the institute, Anker visited Northern Italy and
studied the works of masters like Titan and Corregio. In 1864, Anker married
Anna Rufli and they had six children, two of whom died very early in life.
Anker depicted his surviving children in some of his paintings. His painting, “Sleeping Child in the Forest” received a gold medal in
1966 at the Paris Salon.
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| 1865 Sleeping Child in the Forest oil on canvas 84 x 145 cm Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille, France |
Ten years later, he was made the Knight of the Legion d’honneur. He was
also the foremost advocates for the construction of the Kunstmuseum in Bern
when he was a member of the Great Council of Bern for a period of four years
from 1870 to 1874. Anker travelled to many countries in Europe repeatedly,
particularly Italy, Germany, France and Belgium and he liked to spend winters
in Paris. Till 1890, he spent his summers at Anet, where he would devote his
time painting his rural subjects. In 1891, he retired to Anet permanently and
started working on illustrating the works of the Swiss novelist, Jeremias
Gotthelf.
In 1889, he became a member of the Swiss Federal Art Commission for the
first time and served there until 1893. After two years, he was again elected a
member of the same organisation and served until 1898. He was also selected as
a member of the Gottfried Keller Foundation and continued until 1901.
Throughout his life, he remained a member of many international juries. In
1900, the University of Bern awarded him an honorary doctorate and the very
next year, he suffered a stroke that significantly reduced his ability to work
as his right hand was partially paralysed. He died in 1910 at the age of 79 at
his house in Anet. After his death, an exhibition was dedicated to him, which
was held at the Musee d’art et d’histoire in Neuchatel.
This is part 1 of a 5-part
post on the works of Albert Anker:
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| 1858 The Prodigal Son oil on canvas 31.9 x 24 cm |
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| 1858 The Whistle Carver oil on canvas 82 x 62.5 cm Private Collection |
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| 1861 Sunday Afternoon oil on canvas 82 x 62 cm Musée d'art et d'histoire, Neuchatel, Switzerland |
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| 1862 The School Exam oil on canvas 103.1 x 175 cm Private Collection |
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| 1862-63 Portrait of the Priest Franz Lüthardt oil on canvas 64 x 50 cm Kunstmuseum Lucerne, Switzerland |
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| 1863 Funeral of a Child oil on canvas 111 x 171 cm Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau, Switzerland |
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| 1864 The Knuckle Players 81 x 65 cm Musée Gruérien, Bulle, Switzerland |
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| 1865 Girl Feeding Chickens oil on canvas 66 x 51 cm Musée d'art et d'histoire, Neuchatel, Switzerland |
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| 1865 The Bathers oil on canvas 64.1 x 25.2 cm Kunstmuseum Bern, Switzerland |
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| 1865 Writing Lessons oil on canvas 26 x 34.3 cm |
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| 1866 Böckligumpen oil on canvas 25 x 32 cm Museum zu Allerheiligen Schaffhausen, Switzerland |
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| 1866 The Lake Dwellers ( study ) pen and charcoal on paper 48.5 x 64 cm Private Collection |
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| 1866 The Lake Dwellers oil on canvas 65 x 811 cm Oskar Reinhart Collection Winterthur, Switzerland |
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| 1867 Newborn oil on canvas Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne, Switzerland |
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| 1867 The Farmers and the Newspaper oil on canvas 64 x 80.5 cm Private Collection |
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| 1868 Girl with a Red Ribbon oil on canvas Private Collection |
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| 1868 Portrait of Emilie Weiss oil on canvas 43.2 x 50.8 cm Private Collection |
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| 1868 The Drinker oil on canvas 60 x 50 cm Kunstmuseum Bern, Switzerland |
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| 1868 Three Girls Winding Wreaths oil on canvas 65.5 x 51 cm Private Collection |
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| 1869 Portrait of Therese von Wyttenback von Fischer oil on canvas 50 x 38 cm Private Collection |
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| 1869 Reudi Anker on His Death Bed oil on canvas Private Collection |
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| 1869 The Kappeler Milk Soup oil on canvas 97 x 137 cm Private Collection |
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| 1869 The Kappeler Milk Soup ( study ) pencil and charcoal on paper 27.2 x 40 cm Private Collection |
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| 1870 Fortune Teller oil on canvas 70.5 x 94.5 cm Private Collection |
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| 1870 Heinrich Pestalozzi and the Orphans in Stans oil on canvas 95 x 73 cm Kunsthaus, Zurich, Switzerland |
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| 1870-77c An Interior with Mother and Children oil on canvas 30.5 x 49 cm Private Collection |
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| 1871 The Bourbakis oil on canvas 95 x 151 cm Musée d'art et d'histoire, Neuchatel, Switzerland |
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| 1872 Boy with Bundle of Wood oil on canvas 27 x 21.5 cm Private Collection |
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| 1872 The School Walk oil on canvas 90 x 150 cm Private Collection |
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| 1873 Still Life with Tea, Sugar, Biscuits and Cream |
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| 1873 The Bubble Blower oil on canvas 45 x 32 cm Kunstmuseum Bern, Switzerland |
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| 1873 The Lake Woman oil on canvas 65 x 81 cm Musée des Beaux-Arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland |
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| 1873 The Little Musician oil on canvas 61 x 50 cm Private Collection |
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| 1874 Portrait of Emilie Weiss oil on canvas 46.5 x 38.5 cm Private Collection |
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| 1874 The Artist's Daughter, Louise Anker oil on canvas 85.5 x 65 cm Oskar Reinhart Collection, Winterthur, Switzerland |
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| 1874 The Village Clerk oil on canvas 64.5 x 62 cm Kunsthaus, Zurich, Switzerland |
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| 1875 Berner Boy oil on canvas 82.4 x 54 cm Kunsthaus, Zurich, Switzerland |
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| 1875 Girl with Jumping Jack ( Marie Anker ) oil on canvas 35.5 x 30 cm Private Collection |
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