KOLLER VIEW 4/22

3 Preview of the Swiss Art auction on 2 December 2022 The paintings by Robert Zünd (1827–1909), Albert Anker (1831–1910), and Giovanni (1868–1931) and Augusto Giacometti (1877–1947) shown on this and the following double pages are all from an im- portant private collection to be auctioned on 2 December. They are major works by the artists and are representative of at least one of their most important creative phases. Robert Zünd’s ‘Mill near Rathaus- en’ shows one of the Lucerne painter’s famous motifs in a clas- sic format (ill. 1). The artist dis- tinguishes individual parts of the picture by using different light intensities, creating a theatrical effect. The detailed, almost pho- torealistic rendering of the land- scape and the skilfully staged in- terplay of light and shadow make this painting an excellent example of Zünd’s skill. ‘Girl peeling potatoes’ (ill. 2) from 1886 combines Albert Anker’s brilliant painting technique with his sensitivity to the human soul. The artist elevates the everyday work of preparing a simple meal to an existential activity, in which the young woman seems to have found her destiny. It is not so much in his large, multi-figure compositions, but primarily in these quiet and sublime pictures that Anker be- comes a great and deeply humane artist. Rather than a nostalgic idealisation of the home, they embody the sublimity of a moment that is at first glance in- conspicuous. This is one of the most beautiful paint- ings by Albert Anker that we have ever offered. Important Swiss Art froma Private Collection 1 2 3