Ricco

Ricco (October 13, 1915 in Allschwil – March 27, 1972 in Ropraz), born Erich Wassmer, was a Swiss painter. His paintings often depict idealizing dream worlds in the genre of magic realism.

Ricco
Born
Erich Wassmer

(1915-10-13)13 October 1915
Allschwil, Switzerland
Died27 March 1972(1972-03-27) (aged 56)
Ropraz, Switzerland
NationalitySwiss
EducationCuno Amiet
Known forPainting
Notable work
Dîner au château (c. 1934)
Pereoo Faraoa (c. 1948)
Saint-Pourçain (c. 1951)
Le cadre (c. 1954)
Le beau cheval (c. 1966)
MovementMagic realism

Life

Erich Wassmer was born into an upper-class environment as the son of cement factory owner and art patron Max Wassmer (1887–1970).[1] Since the age of 3 he grew up at Bremgarten Castle near Bern, which was filled with art and culture. Max and Tilli-Wassmer-Zurlinden socialised with poets, painters and composers such as Hermann Hesse, Louis Moilliet, Cuno Amiet, Paul Basilius Barth and Othmar Schoeck. Early on Erich Wassmer was interested in the art of painting. The family encouraged his artistic talent and his interest in art, literature and music, after the continuation of the parental cement factory had been secured by his two brothers. Wassmer marked the end of his childhood with a new name: From 1937 onwards Erich Wassmer signed his paintings with Ricco — a name like a magic word — instead of the name of his well-known industrialist and philanthropist father. Ricco studied in Munich and Paris, and was taught by Cuno Amiet. However, the influence of his teachers remained marginal. Ricco was fascinated by the sea, as well as by the desire to explore lost paradises and undiscovered territories. He had the symbol of an anchor tattooed on his arm and added this symbol henceforth to his signature on his paintings. During the forties, he crossed the ocean on a freighter, and lived for a while in Tahiti. In the fifties he settled at Bompré Castle near Vichy. In 1963, the French police discovered photos of nude boys in his studio, who served as the basis for his paintings. A French court convicted him — without a formal indictment — of sexual "exploitation" of young boys and breach of the morality to eight-months in prison. Ricco never recovered completely from this prison sentence.[2] Following his release, Ricco returned to Switzerland and settled in a mansion in Ropraz. He died in 1972 at the age of 56.[3] Until his death Ricco Wassmer remained a family shareholder in the Portland-Cement-Werke AG.

Work

Ricco's early work (e.g. his paintings of castle life) can be classified as primitivist, while his mature work includes still lifes, harbor scenes, exotic motifs and allegorical figures. He often painted dream worlds in the style of magic realism with lean boys surrounded by surreal arrangements. Ricco's paintings reveal his longing for a state of androgynous, youthful perfection. Ricco's work "is anchored in everyday reality, but has overtones of fantasy or wonder" creating a surreal atmosphere.[4]

Exhibitions

References
  1. Alexandra Stäheli (30 September 2002). "Surreale Südsee-Sehnsucht, gestillt («Ricco» - ein filmisches Künstlerporträt von Mike Wildbolz)" (in German). Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  2. Ursula Sinnreich (3 January 2003). "Denn alle Lust will Ewigkeit (Ricco - ein Aussenseiter im Kunstmuseum Bern)" (in German). Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  3. Isabelle Falconnier (9 October 2008). "Ricco Wassmer. Le peintre s'est arrêté à Ropraz" (in French). L'Hebdo. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  4. Artcyclopedia
  5. Ricco Wassmer - Fondation Estrée Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Museum of Fine Arts Bern
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