) was a Swiss sculptor

Sculpture

Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...

 known for his bronze sculptures installed in public spaces in Geneva

Geneva

Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

.

Early life

Hartmann was born in Hamburg in 1921, the son of a Swiss immigrant father and a German-Danish mother. He spent his youth in Cairo

Cairo

Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...

, Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

 where his father was posted for work.

Early career

Hartmann attended primary school at the International English and International German schools in Cairo. After completing his primary educational studies, he was then sent to Germany to complete his higher education. In 1939 Hartmann obtained his baccalaureat award

Baccalauréat

The baccalauréat , often known in France colloquially as le bac, is an academic qualification which French and international students take at the end of the lycée . It was introduced by Napoleon I in 1808. It is the main diploma required to pursue university studies...

 and had decided to become an artist. Bowing to pressure from his father, he agreed instead to study architecture in Berlin. Hartmann's architecture studies were pre-empted by the outbreak of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 in Europe, so, finding himself in Geneva at the end of the war, he studied sculpture with Henri Paquet.

In 1946, Hartmann returned to Cairo where he set up his first studio in his parents' garage. He subsequently moved around Europe, spending time sculpting and studying in Florence

Florence

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....

, Positano

Positano

Positano is a village and comune on the Amalfi Coast , in Campania, Italy. The main part of the city sits in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast.-History:...

 and Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

. He finally settled in Geneva in 1950, where he did the bulk of his work.

Later career

Hartmann worked in Geneva from 1950 until the end of his career in the late 1990s.

In 1957 he received his first commission for a large work - the Virgin for L'Église du Christ-Roi in Petit Lancy

Lancy

Lancy is a municipality of the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland.-Geography:Lancy has an area, , of . Of this area, or 5.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 6.5% is forested...

.

In 1959 he had his first solo exhibition, which was followed by many solo and collective shows in Geneva, and throughout the French part of Switzerland.

In 1968 he received his most important commission which was the statue of Charles Pictet de Rochemont

Charles Pictet de Rochemont

Charles Pictet de Rochemont was a statesman and diplomat who prepared the declaration of Switzerland's permanent neutrality ratified by the great powers in 1815....

, now installed on the Promenade de la Treille in Geneva.

Hartmann supplemented his sculpting income as a restorer at the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire

Musée d'Art et d'Histoire (Geneva)

The Musée d’Art et d’Histoire is the largest art museum in Geneva, Switzerland.-The building:The museum is located in Les Tranchées, in the city centre, on the site of the former fortification ring. It was built by the architect Marc Camoletti between 1903 and 1910, and financed by a bequest from...

.

Later life and death

Hartmann continued his activities as a sculptor until the end of the 1990s when he was stricken by Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...

, which gradually prevented to him from fully working with his hands.

Hartmann died in Geneva

Geneva

Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

 on November 14, 2007.

Dietesheim Gallery

Hartmann's works were showcased in a 1979 exhibition at the Dietesheim gallery, Neuchâtel. A reviewer of the exhibition said

Peter Hartmann, has a prestigious manner in imposing upon his works, his sense of beauty and his impassioned style. His works denotes a nobility of expression whereby this traditional approach from where a sensuality and simplicity bore, makes Peter Hartmann a significant sculptor. There is no audacity in the sculptures, but only the perception of the rhythm and a subtle suggestion of the movement that brings his characters resulting from mythology to reality. A research of the essence is what was achieved. - Journal du Jura

Individual exhibitions

• Gallery Motte, Geneva, 1964
• Gallery Vanier, Geneva, 1968
• Gallery Vanier, Geneva, 1975
• Gallery Vanier, Geneva, 1975
• Gallery Steingasser, Carouge
  Carouge
  Carouge is a municipality in the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland, with a population of 19,114 .-History:Carouge is first mentioned in the Early Middle Ages as Quadruvium and Quatruvio. In 1248 it was mentioned as Carrogium while in the 14th Century it was known as Quarrouiz or Quarroggi. In 1445...
  
  , 1976
• Gallery André Buchs, Geneva, 1979
• Gallery Dietesheim, Neuchâtel, 1981
• Gallery des Platanes, Carouge, 1987
• Gallery Cluny, Geneva, 1991
• Gallery La Collection, Vesenaz, 1994
• Gallery du Simplon, Vevey
  Vevey
  Vevey is a town in Switzerland in the canton Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne.It was the seat of the district of the same name until 2006, and is now part of the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District...
  
  , 1998
• Retrospective of the Works of Peter Hartmann, Gallery Castellino Fine Arts, Geneva, 2008

Collective exhibitions

• Gallery George Moos, 1952
• Oeuvre Geneve (Exhibition of the Works of Geneva), 1961
• Sculpteurs de Geneve, Parc des Eaux Vives, Geneva, 1962
• Sculpteurs de Geneve, Parc des Eaux Vives, Geneva, 1963
• Sculpteurs Genevois, Club Migros, Geneva, 1965
• Sculpteurs de Geneve, Parc des Eaux Vives, Geneva, 1966
• Sculpture en Plein Air, Montreux, 1969
• Sculpture en Plein Air, Montreux, 1970
• Musée d'Art et d'Histoire
  Musée d'Art et d'Histoire (Geneva)
  The Musée d’Art et d’Histoire is the largest art museum in Geneva, Switzerland.-The building:The museum is located in Les Tranchées, in the city centre, on the site of the former fortification ring. It was built by the architect Marc Camoletti between 1903 and 1910, and financed by a bequest from...
  
  , Geneva, 1984
• Sculptures of Grand Lancy, Geneva, 1985
• Jardin Botanique, Geneva

Permanent installations

Many of Hartmann's works are permanently installed in various public spaces around Geneva. The most significant of these are shown below.

In media

Hartmann has been the topic of a documentary film titled Peter Hartmann by French film directors Patrick Constantin and Florent Saccon.

External links

• Tribute website of Peter Hartmann by Jacelyn Parry in Italian, English, French & German.