BIOGRAPHY OF ROBERT WEHRLIN
1903 – 1964

 

1903
Birth on the 8th of March in Winterthur, Switzerland.
1909/21
Primary and secondary studies.
1920
Death of his father.
1921
Baccalauréat exam.
1921/24
Law studies in Germany. Wehrlin begins painting.
1922
Meeting in Davos with Ernt Ludwig Kirchner
1924
Wehrlin begins painting full time. He moves to Paris, where he becomes a pupil of André Lhote.
1924/34
The workshop in rue Vercingétorix, Montparnasse. He strikes up friendship with Jacques Villon.
1925
He meets his future wife, Germaine Dupuis.
Exhibits for the first time at the Salon d’Automne
1932
Made member of the Kunstlergruppe in Winterthur.
1934/38
Workshop in Montrouge.
1934
First major exhibition at the Winterthur Kunstmuseum.
1937
Made member of the Jeune Gravure Contemporaine, where he would exhibit every year till the end of his life.
1938
Moves to Antony where he marries Germaine Dupuis, their witnesses being the sculptor Germaine Richier and the painter Maurice-Georges Poncelet.
1939/1945
Duration of the war spent in Antony.
1943
The city of Paris order a series of portraits of musicians (including Arthur Honegger and Florent Schmitt) to illustrate a series of concert posters.
1944
Becomes a corporate member of the Salon d’Automne.
Exhibits at “Paris et ses peintres” at the Charpentier gallery in Paris.
1946
Along with Antony, he rents a workshop in Winterthur.
1947
Illustrates the Maternelle de Léon Frapié with over sixty lithographs.
A series of six lithographs entitled “Les fenêtres de Paris” illustrate a text written by Jean and Jérôme Tharaud.
1948
Completes his first decoration project for a Coop shop in Wintherthur.
Lienhard, Schoellhorn, Zender and Wehrlin exhibition at the Berne Kunsthalle.
Exclusive exhibition at the Chichard Haller gallery in Zurich.
1950
Exclusive exhibition at Orell Füssli in Zurich.
Arrival of Jacques in the family
1954
Sgraffito entitled “Le baptême du Christ” for the church in Kollbrunn, ZH.
1955
Death of his mother.
1956
Exhibition of Walter Linck’s suspended attractions and Wehrlin’s works at Winterthur museum.
1958
“La roue de la fortune” sgraffito for a school in Wülflingen, ZH.
Stained glass and concrete windows for the "Eglise réformée française" of Winterthur
Exclusive exhibition at the Schaffhausen museum.
Participates in the “Tapisseries 1958” exhibition at the Musée des arts décoratifs in Paris.
1959
”l’Echelle de Jakob” sgraffito for the parish of Veltheim in Winterthur.
Exhibition at the Im Weissen Haus gallery in Winterthur.
1960
“Transformation” mural decoration for the Maison de la propriété intellectuelle in Berne.
1963
Illustration of the Folie d’Holderlin poems for the Arcade Presse publications.
1964
Death of Robert Wehrlin on the 29th of February in Wintherthur.
1965
Overall review at the Winterthur museum.
Heinrich Bruppacher finishes three stained glass window projects in progress:
- for the Nordheim crematorium Zürich
- for the church in Bachs, ZH
- for the hospital in Munsterlingen, TG
1966
Review of the graphic works at the Orell Füssli museum in Zurich
1969
Review at the Warsaw museum orange-grove and the Institute of France in Cracow
1970
Exhibition of etchings at the Winterthur ABC museum.
Exhibition of etchings at the Millioud gallery in Houston, USA.
1972
Review at the Weinfelden town hall organised by the Thurgovian Arts Association.
1973
The “Winterthur Insurance” group use 12 of Wehrlin’s works to illustrate their calendar for the year.
1978
Exhibition of child portraits at the Im Weissen Haus gallery in Winterthur.
1979
Participation in the “Les Peintres de Paris” exhibition at the Wolfsberg Kunstsalon in Zurich
1983
Exhibition of etchings and drawings in Fraenfeld, TG.
1989
Publication of a monograph on the artist by Rudolf Koella, curator of the Winterthur museum, for the “Ides et Calendes” publications.
Review at the Winterthur museum.
1990
Detailed review at the Amis des Arts gallery in Neuchatel, (CH/NE)
2000
Tribute from the Salon des Arts in Palaiseau (F91).
2001
Tribute from the Maison des Arts in Antony.
March, 2002
Participation in the “Tribute to the Winterthur Künstergruppe at the RW Fine Arts gallery in Winterthur.
8th of March, 2003 – 15th of August, 2003
Centenary exhibition at the History Museum in Bischofszell (CH/TG)
October 2003
Participation in the two yearly exhibition in Antony (F92).
November 2003 – 29th of February 2004
“Autour de l’Art Sacré” exhibition at the Elsau/Winterthur Kirchgemeindhaus.
December, 2003 – February, 2004
Exhibition at the Swiss embassy in Paris.
October 2011 - December 2011
Participation to the 10th. anniversary of the museum "La Piscine" in Roubaix France
October - November 2012
Drawing exhibition "The truth of the line, aspect of a donation"
at the Mont de Piété Museum in Bergues (F59)
October 2012 - January 2013
Chagall / Wehrlin exhibition at the "La Piscine" museum in Roubaix (F59)
July 2013 - October 2013
Participation to the exhibition "Art to the test of the world"
Curated by Jean-Jacques Aillagon
Dépoland of Dunkirk (59)
September 2014 - January 2015
Exhibition for the 50th anniversary of the artist's death
at the Galerie Im Rathausdurchgang in Winterthur (CH / ZH)
January 2015 - August 2015
Participation to the exhibition "Des Himmel brenntJ am Horizont" Swiss German artists during the 2nd world war
Ittingen - Kartause Kunstmuseum Thurgau (CH / TG)
September 2018 - October 2018
Exhibition "Robert Wehrlin" at the Orangery of the Caillebotte Property in Yerres (F91)
November 2018 - February 2019
Participation to the exhibition "Political drawing, poetic drawing" Musée Jenisch in Vevey (CH / VD)
Septembre 2019 - Avril 2020
Participation to the exhibition "Konstellation 10" on the theme of the nude
Ittingen - Kartause Kunstmuseum Thurgau (CH / TG)
May 2021 - September 2021
Exhibition "les Robert Wehrlin de La Piscine" at the museum "La Piscine" in Roubaix (F59)

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