Hans Hinterreiter

Hans Hinterreiter (28 January 1902 – 15 September 1989) was a Swiss painter and art theorist associated with Concrete art. After studying architecture at ETH Zürich, he developed a systematic approach to painting based on geometric patterns and Wilhelm Ostwald's colour theory. He moved permanently to Ibiza in 1939.

Biography Hans Hinterreiter was born on 28 January 1902 in Winterthur. From 1920, he studied mathematics before switching soon afterwards to architecture at ETH Zürich. During his studies, he pursued art history and took piano and painting lessons. From 1922 to 1924, he travelled in Italy, and in 1925 received his diploma in architecture before gaining practical experience in several architectural offices in Aarau and Bern. His work centred on geometric patterns and colour theory, with music also informing his approach.

Hinterreiter described some of his works as Farbgedichte, or colour poems, and related them to musical composition. He also set out his ideas in theoretical publications, including Geometrische Schönheit in 1958, A Theory of Form and Color in 1967 and Die Kunst der reinen Form in 1978.

Exhibitions Hinterreiter exhibited with the Swiss artists’ group Allianz in Zürich in 1942 and 1947. A 1973 exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Winterthur marked a stage in his later recognition. In 2018, the Fundación Juan March organised an exhibition of his work in collaboration with the Hans Hinterreiter Foundation, presenting around 75 works together with documents and publications related to his long-term study of colour and form.