Otto Tschumi

Otto Tschumi (4 August 1904 – 18 February 1985) was a Swiss painter and a leading representative of Surrealism in Switzerland. Largely self-taught, he progressed from an early Cubist-influenced style to Surrealism. His work was shown at the inaugural São Paulo Art Biennial in 1951, and he represented Switzerland at the 1960 Venice Biennale.

Biography Otto Tschumi was born on 4 August 1904 in Bittwil, in the municipality of Seeberg. His family initially lived in Oberhofen before moving to Bern, where he grew up in modest circumstances. His work showed the influence of Hans Arp, Max Ernst and Paul Klee at different stages of his career.

His years in Paris brought him into closer contact with Surrealism, which became central to his work. Organic forms increasingly appeared alongside the geometric structures of his earlier work. He remained independent of artists’ groups while drawing on Surrealism’s emphasis on artistic freedom. His images combined abstraction and distortion with recognisable details. During the Second World War, his Surrealist work was overshadowed by the dominant figurative art in Switzerland. His compositions ranged from simplified forms to intricately detailed imagery.

Tschumi became a leading representative of Surrealism in Switzerland. His public commissions included murals for the 1949 cantonal exhibition in Thun, the Federal Customs Directorate in Bern in 1955, and a school in Dürrenast in 1958.

His works are held in several public collections, including the Kunstmuseum Bern, Kunstmuseum Olten, Kunstmuseum Solothurn, Kunstmuseum Winterthur and Kunsthaus Zürich.

Exhibitions Tschumi exhibited at the Kunsthalle Bern in 1946, and his work was shown at the inaugural São Paulo Art Biennial in 1951. He represented Switzerland at the Venice Biennale in 1960 alongside the painter Varlin and sculptor Robert Müller. Solo exhibitions were held at the Kunsthalle Bern in 1961, Galerie Kornfeld and Klipstein in 1966, and the Kunstmuseum Winterthur in 1968. His last solo exhibition was presented by Galerie Kornfeld in Bern in 1984.

A comprehensive retrospective was held in 1987 in Bern, Mulhouse and Nuremberg.