Wilhelm Schmid

Wilhelm Schmid (7 February 1892 – 20 November 1971) was a Swiss painter associated with Neue Sachlichkeit and Magic Realism. After beginning his career in architecture, he moved to Berlin and became a co-founder of the Novembergruppe. His works included Luna, and his later work in Switzerland consisted mainly of Ticino scenes, landscapes and still lifes.

Biography Wilhelm Schmid was born on 7 February 1892 in Remigen. After training as an architectural draughtsman in Brugg, he worked as an architect in Zürich from June 1911. In 1912, Schmid moved to Berlin, where he worked in architecture offices.

Schmid exhibited in Munich and Berlin in 1916 and 1917. In 1918, he married the singer Maria Metz.

His early figure paintings often drew on theatrical scenes. In Luna, formal elements such as static composition, sharply separated areas of colour and bright palette pointed toward Neue Sachlichkeit. Schmid was one of the few Swiss representatives of that movement.