The Foundation 1987/1988

The idea of founding an association of Swiss mountain painters originated in 1987 partly as the result of a UNESCO project "Man and the Environment" devoted to a study of the value of natural beauty and led by Professor Dr. Georges Grosjean, University of Berne. The other major influence was the success of painting courses led by Gustav Ritschard (Unterseen) und Albert Häsler (Grindelwald), which had been organised by the Grindelwald-First mountain railway and the Hotel Résidence in Grindelwald. Professor Grosjean commissioned Gustav Ritschard to bring together well-known artists interested in the Swiss mountain scene with a view to forming an association, as a result of which he became the initiator of the Guild's foundation.

In September 1987 15 of the 30 invited mountain painters declared themselves interested in membership and met together in Grindelwald for the first time to define the objectives and main activities, namely painting together and showing the resulting works in exhibitions. This was followed on 22nd July 1988, when the association was officially inaugurated in the Hotel Sunstar under the name "Gilde Schweizer Bergmaler Grindelwald" (engl. Guild of Swiss Mountain Painters, Grindelwald) and with Gustav Ritschard as its first President.

From the Statutes

The Guild has the objective to encourage the practise of mountain painting and to raise the level of interest and its cultural significance. It wishes thereby to preserve and extend the established tradition of mountain painting in Switzerland.

This objective will be pursued through contacts between the members and other organisations with similar interests, through close collaboration with the authorities and tourist office in Grindelwald and through the regular organisation of exhibitions.

The membership consists of active, passive and honorary members, together with patrons and benefactors. Active membership is open to citizens of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well as to resident foreigners, who wish to actively take part in the Guild's activities. New members will be accepted by the Committee on the recommendation of the exhibition jury, following successful submission of their work for the annual exhibition.

The Annual Exhibition and other Events

The annual exhibition is a major event each year and enables members to present their latest works to the public and offer them for sale. Over the years they have been held in various parts of Switzerland, from Unterseen and Walenstadt to Zermatt and even on top of the Säntis, but every now and then we like to go back to the roots, and exhibit again in Grindelwald itself, as is the case again this year. Since 1988 there have been 17 exhibitions, as listed below.

• in Grindelwald (1988, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2003 und 2009)
• on the Schwägalp and Säntis (1991, 2001)
• in Alten Bad Pfäfers (1993)
• in the Alpine Museum Berne (1995)
• in Triesenberg, Liechtenstein (1997)
• in Bätterkinden (1999)
• in Unterseen (2002)
• in the Bickel Museum, Walenstadt (2005)
• in the old Alpine Museum Zermatt (2007)
• in the Museum der Landschaft, Saanen (2008)
• in the Reppisch Hallen, Dietikon (2011) ....... OPENING 20th AUGUST !!

Further details about past exhibitions is given in the Exhibition Overview.

In addition the Guild organises outdoor painting courses which are held every summer in Grindelwald, as well as occasional artist-get-togethers, usually during the same week as the now traditional Eiger-Live Mountain Festivals in Grindelwald.

The Emil and Ida Sutter Trust

The Trust was founded in Grindelwald in 1989, to promote and support the art of mountain painting and the portrayal of Alpine life in Switzerland, through the purchase and collection of suitable works by Swiss and foreign artists.

The Trust seeks to build a comprehensive and representative collection of works by all Swiss mountain painters of significance, by the Old Masters and by members of the Guild and other artists of note.

The Trust may loan works to the Guild, to the Grindelwald Council or Tourist Office, to museums and to other organisations for the purpose of public exhibition over a limited period. The planning and financing of such exhibitions is however not the responsibility of the Trust.

The Guild and the Trust are independent bodies, which complement each other exceptionally well. On the one hand the conjunction of the Trust and the Guild Secretariat in the person of Mrs. Ida Sutter guarantees a strong presence of the Guild in the place of its origin. On the other hand it has become a tradition that a selection of works from the Trust collection is shown as an additional attraction of the annual Guild exhibition.

In September 2004 a special exhibition of over 130 works from the collection was shown in the Grindelwald Congress Hall, for which an illustrated catalogue was produced and is available on request. See also: Jungfrau Zeitung

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