Brignoni Serge was born into the family of a postal clerk in the Italian part of Switzerland; however, the family soon moved to Bern, where Serge received his first drawing lessons at a local art school run by V. Zurbek.
1903 - 2002
Brignoni Serge
description
A Swiss sculptor and lithographer, artist and graphic artist, collector of archaic and ancient works of art, a prominent representative of the avant-garde in his country and Europe. The artist spent more than a decade in Paris, became a member of a Surrealist group organized and headed by Andre Breton. The latter included one of Serge Brignoni’s lithographs in the famous illustrated book “Surrealism in 1947”.
The artist as a representative of the Paris School was a participant in the Venice Biennale and prestigious international exhibitions of surreal art in England and America. His contribution to the development of avant-garde art in Switzerland is considerable.
Close to Surrealism at the artistic and intellectual level, Serge Brignoni used complex metamorphoses of the image of the world. Veins and branches, eyes and viscera, sea creatures and endless cosmic landscapes, spaces and figures, animated by floral fragments, show his attention to nature. A wide range of methods he used to create works of art – sculpture, collage, engraving, painting and drawing – gives S. Brignoni’s works the status of “analog biology”.
In 1985, the Swiss artist donated his most valuable and vast collection of art from Oceania and Indonesia to Lugano – in this city, the Museum of Non-European Cultures “Villa Heleneum” was opened four years later.
Key ideas:
– Studying at the Berne School of Painting where his teacher was Victor Surbec, Serge Brignoni acquired the skills of painting portraits and nu; at the same time, he became interested in the methods of colour and plastic modeling in clay and plaster;
– Rejecting the Milan and Berlin Academies of Arts, Serge Brignoni found artistic development in Paris, where he lived with short breaks from 1923 to 1940. Although he admired the metaphysical paintings of Giorgio de Chirico and was in close contact with such avant-garde leaders as Picasso, Arp, Braque, Dali, Ernst and Giacometti, his style was peculiar. In his youth, Brignoni experimented with romantic expressionism and lyrical cubism before finding his path in Surrealism;
– Brignoni always said that he was inspired by nature, adding that he found balance and harmony in the works of ancient civilizations. Actively traveling around Africa and Oceania, the artist collected artefacts that gave him motives for paintings and sculptures;
– Brignoni’s sculptures, including those that are surreal, were based on the basic processes of nature, the general appearance of the human body. He was one of the few sculptors in whose works a significant place was occupied by plants on the thematic and visual level. The artist understood nature as an organic complex of all life on earth;
– The themes of anatomy and landscape allowed Brignoni to experiment with stylistic accents and forms, which were sometimes calm and flat, and more often – dynamic and complex.
1903
1922
1923
1926
1927
1929
1931
1935
1937
1940
1946
1954
1979
1985
2002
Brignoni Serge was born into the family of a postal clerk
He entered the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin
After attempts to study in Milan, he entered the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin, but also quickly left the institution, not satisfied with the academic teaching methods.
Studied at the Paris workshop at the Academy of Andre Lot
He went to France, studied at the Paris workshop at the Academy of Andre Lot. During this period, he began to collect works of exotic, mostly archaic and non-European art.
Took part in the Salon des Indépendants
After a brief return to Milan, he rented his first studio in Paris, selling some of his African sculptures for self-financing. Took part in the Salon des Indépendants.
He took part in an exhibition at the Kunsthaus in Zurich and at the Venice Biennale with L'Ecole de Paris
Exhibited his works at the gallery “Asher”, often visited by Andre Breton. The owner of the gallery, Odette Luce, acquired a whole series of his works. He took part in a collective exhibition at the Kunsthaus in Zurich and exhibited his sculptures at the Venice Biennale with L’Ecole de Paris.
Studied at Collioure
Studied at Collioure, actively participating in Paris exhibitions. Held a solo exhibition at the Jeanne Bucher Gallery.
Was invited to an important exhibition at the Kunsthalle in Basel
Was invited to an important exhibition at the Kunsthalle in Basel with the spouses Juan and Sophie Arp and Kurt Seligman. Participated in the Abstraction-Création exhibition in Paris. The next three years he spent in Spain.
Married Chilean artist G. Aranis
Married Chilean artist G. Aranis, moved to Meudon. He participated in the International Surrealism Exhibition in Copenhagen, which was then held in London, Paris, Amsterdam, New York, Santiago and Mexico City.
Held a personal vernissage at the Paris gallery Loeb
Visited the UK. Held a personal vernissage at the Paris gallery Loeb and met Pablo Picasso. The following year, he exhibited his works in Maastricht together with M. Ernst, A. Giacometti and S. Hayter (Groupe de l’Atelier 17).
He was forced to leave Paris
He was forced to leave Paris in connection with the outbreak of World War II. A significant number of his paintings left in Paris were destroyed or disappeared. Returning to Bern, Brignoni faced considerable difficulties – the city was used to traditional art that was different than the Paris avant-garde art forms. The master moved on to new surreal metaphysical compositions.
The retrospective exhibition
After a retrospective show in Zurich, his large doubles retrospective exhibition was held at the Kunsthalle Bern – the works of Brignoni and Otto Zumi were exhibited there. In the postwar period, his contacts with Paris resumed.
Taught applied painting at the Zurich Academy of Arts
Taught applied painting at the Zurich Academy of Arts. His solo exhibitions were held both in Switzerland and abroad, including America and Mexico.
Took part in the exhibition “Neue Sachlichkeit und Surrealismus in der Schweiz”
Took part in the largest exhibition “Neue Sachlichkeit und Surrealismus in der Schweiz”, held at the Kunstmuseum in Winterthur.
The Villa Heleneum Museum of Non-European Cultures was opened in Lugano
The artist presented the city of Lugano with most of his collection of works of ancient art, on based on of which the Villa Heleneum Museum of Non-European Cultures was opened in Lugano.
The death of the artist
Brignoni Serge died on January 6, 2002 in Zollikofen, Switzerland.