Exhibitions

Opening Night at Kunsthaus Weiz: A Tribute to Julius Voegtli
On April 10th, 2025, Kunsthaus Weiz hosted an inspiring cultural evening to celebrate the opening of the exhibition “Julius Voegtli: A Swiss Pioneer of Impressionism.”

The soulful jazz of the Eduardo Antiao Trio set the tone for an event rich in art, music, and memory. Insightful speeches by curator Georg Gratzer, Nour Nouri (Pashmin Art Consortia), Dr. Davood Khazaie, and Mag. Oswin Donnerer framed the evening, highlighting Voegtli’s artistic legacy.

A special moment came with Hans Vögtli, the artist’s grandson, who shared moving reflections on his grandfather’s life and vision.

The evening also saw the launch of a trilingual art book (German, English, Chinese), underscoring Voegtli’s international significance.

The exhibition runs until June 7th, 2025, inviting visitors to experience the timeless vibrancy of Voegtli’s impressionist world.

The Schlossmuseum Greiz and Pashmin Art Consortia are pleased to present a solo exhibition by the Swiss artist Julius Voegtli.

Highlights of the exhibition:

Book presentation and signing of the comprehensive work on Julius Voegtli, published by Pashmin Art Publisher in German, English and Chinese.
Exhibition of works from the private collection of Hans Vögtli and works on loan from the Biel/Bienne City Museum.

Visit the vernissage, enjoy the works of art and meet Hans Vögtli for the book presentation and signing.

The vernissage of the solo exhibition of Swiss artist Julius Voegtli at the Pashmin Art Gallery Hamburg was dedicated to the rediscovery of this important pioneer of Swiss Impressionism.

A central highlight of the event was the presentation and book signing of the new comprehensive work on Julius Voegtli, which has been published in German, English and Chinese.
The book offers an in-depth insight into the artist’s life and work and was very well received by the guests.

The exhibition was complemented by selected works from the private collection of Hans Vögtli, the artist’s grandson.

Julius Voegtli – A Swiss pioneer of Impressionism.

While the Hainan Tanka Museum in China proudly presents a series of exhibitions on the occasion of its opening ceremony, Voegtli’s works will be exhibited in a special section of the museum this fall and presented by Pashmin Art Consortia. The exhibition, which was on view until November 22, 2023, is being eagerly discussed in the global art scene.

His contribution to Swiss Impressionism shaped the perception of color and light and expanded thematic possibilities. His art, characterized by elegance and simplicity, significantly enriched the history of art.

Julius Voegtli’s artworks were featured in an exhibition hosted by Pashmin Art Gallery in Chongqing in 2023.
Born in 1879 in Switzerland, Julius Voegtli emerged as a pivotal artist, transcending traditional art movements. Educated in Basel and Munich, he drew inspiration from French Impressionism, especially from Cezanne.

Voegtli’s art is renowned for its exceptional use of color and light, predominantly showcasing tranquil landscapes and pastoral scenes infused with a sense of nostalgia. His unique style is also evident in portraiture and still life, notably his “Self-Portrait” which challenges conventional subject-background distinctions. His still life compositions reveal Impressionist influences, while his caricatures critique societal norms with satire. Voegtli’s contributions, extending beyond Swiss Impressionism, profoundly impacted modern art, adding depth and empathy to the depiction of everyday life and the natural world, securing his legacy in art history.

Julius Voegtli – A Swiss pioneer of Impressionism.

The large solo exhibition, including book presentation and signing session with the grandson, took place on November 12, 2022 at the Pashmin Art Gallery Bad Tölz. The works shown at Pashmin Art by the artist Julius Voegtli, who died in 1944, represent only a small part of his large repertoire.

His artistic legacy is owned by private collectors, and some of his works can be seen at the Museum Schwab and the NMB Neues Museum Biel in Switzerland.

This extraordinary exhibition was hosted by the Hong Art Museum in Chongqing. The international show was well received in China and one of the most important art events in the world’s largest metropolis. Furthermore, the presence of embassy representatives from nearly twenty countries created a further international bridging network that created enthusiasm for this art event far beyond its location. In addition to the spaces dedicated to contemporary artists, a separate area was devoted to more than eighty works by Julius Voegtli. The works of Julius Voegtli (1879 – 1944) were presented within the large group exhibition and gave the viewer a stunning insight to a time before the First World War up to almost to the end of the Second World War. Voegtli works started with realism and ended with impressionism. Still lifes, portraits, landscapes, soldiers, and animals were among his motifs.

A curated collection of Julius Voegtli’s artworks was exhibited at the private art room of the Palm Springs organization. Hans Vögtli, the artist’s grandson, attended the closing ceremony. This exhibition featured several landscapes, portraits, and still lifes by Julius Voegtli.

Voegtli’s landscape work reflects the beauty of nature and poignantly establishes the connection between man and nature by depicting the following three aspects: natural landscape, daily tasks, and architecture. Voegtli took a realistic approach in his early portraits. He placed human figures in the distance and separated them from the background. Voegtli employed realism to create the narrative. In his later pictures, Voegtli abandoned the narrative and emphasized the formal language of painting, tending toward a modernist style. Voegtli’s still lifes reflect his striving for a sense of order. Voegtli’s still lifes mainly depict fruits and flowers. When depicting fruit, he chose apples and grapes to give them a uniform color and texture.

Julius Voegtli’s art graced two exhibitions at Pashmin Art Gallery in Beijing and Shanghai in 2019. Born in 1879, this Swiss artist embodies the Renaissance ideal of a polymath. Trained in Basel and Munich, he developed a passion for landscape painting and Impressionism. His pre-Impressionist works offer a unique perspective on nature, animals, people, and architecture, reflecting ecocritical views and a commitment to conservation.

Voegtli’s approach blends Swiss Impressionism and German Romanticism, celebrating nature’s beauty and power. Portraits capture the human spirit with masterful tonality. Still lifes reveal depth and dimension through color and light. His caricatures critique power structures, and he excelled in frescoes and writing, exploring dark themes and progressive views. His legacy redefines Swiss Impressionism, reshaping artistic perceptions and adding depth to art through his choice of subjects and detailed portraits. Voegtli remains a significant figure in modern art history.

In a joint collaboration, the Mark Rothko Art Center in Latvia and Pashmin Art Consortia exhibited the artworks of Julius Voegtli (1879 – 1944).

Voegtli’s paintings have remained in the private possession of his descendants and were rarely seen publicly. It was an incredible stroke of luck not only for Switzerland’s art history but also for collectors worldwide that a landscape painter and portraitist of national and epochal importance was rediscovered – and made accessible to the international art market.

This was the largest exhibition in Europe organized after the artist’s death.

Julius Voegtli’s art featured in exhibitions at Pashmin Art Gallery in Beijing and Shanghai in 2018. A modern Renaissance figure, he pioneered impressionism ahead of its time. His paintings, portraying nature, animals, people, and architecture, exhibit a distinctive style marked by vivid color, simplicity, and nostalgia. Voegtli’s landscapes convey environmental concerns, inspiring action for Earth’s protection.

His portraits capture the human spirit through effective tonality, while still lifes explore color, light, and symbolism. Voegtli’s satirical caricatures challenge power structures, and his frescoes are noteworthy. His writing delves into dark societal themes. Redefining Swiss impressionism, he influences color and light perception, offering a stroke of luck for global art history.

The exhibition at Dounan Art Museum showed how artists from the Western World, with their own creative form of expression, can be presented in a multicultural, colorful art scene in the East. In this group exhibition, a separate section was dedicated to Julius Voegtli (1879 – 1944), in addition to the contemporary artists.

The artist’s grandson, Hans Vögtli, is from Zurich, lives and works there. Therefore, it provided an excellent opportunity to bring about a unique, innovative cooperation between the two cities through art. The twinning agreement between Kunming and Zurich has existed since 1982, making the two towns’ twinning the oldest and most enduring cooperation between a Chinese and a foreign city.

When Julius Voegtli died in 1944, the local media took little notice of his passing. The people of Switzerland had other concerns. While the country itself was not directly involved in the war, it was surrounded by countries where heavy fighting was taking place in the last year of World War II. Refugees desperately sought asylum, military border violations were commonplace, and parts of the country experienced outright famine as Switzerland relied on grain and food shipments from abroad. The black market flourished, and looting occurred, including Biel and the surrounding area. Many feared that fanatical German SS units might make their way to Switzerland. The Swiss army was on constant alert. All cultural institutions remained closed. The death of an important artist was not considered newsworthy under these circumstances. It took more than seventy years for the artistic legacy of Julius Voegtli to be rediscovered. This was not due to happenstance but to the tireless work of his grandson Hans Vögtli. Though he never got to know his grandfather personally, his father told him many exciting details of Julius Voegtli’s life and work from his earliest childhood. Therefore, even at a young age, it became almost an obsession to bring his grandfather back from oblivion. His prevailing passion was to grant his ancestor the recognition as an artist of distinction and international importance that had eluded him during his lifetime.

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