Irène Zurkinden: Love, Life

A collage of sketchbooks and papers forms a book cover. At the top are the words Irène Zurkinden and die Liebe, das Leben. In the center is a watercolor drawing of a nude female torso, with a photographic cutout of a hand and brush placed over the breast.

A two-page spread from a book written in German. The left page, numbered 14, has a title and author's name at the top with a large amount of white space below. The right page, numbered 15, is a full column of text.

The right side of the image shows a collection of vintage notebooks and sketchpads of various sizes and colors laid out on a black background. The covers are faded brown, beige, blue, and green. Some have labels like DESSIN and CAHIER de DESSIN, and one features a small pencil sketch of an animal. The left side of the image is a large, blank white space.

An open, spiral-bound sketchbook with tan pages lies flat against a black background. The left page is blank, while the right page features two gestural black ink drawings of human figures. The sketch on the left shows a person in a long garment bending backwards dramatically, while the sketch on the right is of a person standing, possibly in historical costume.

An open, spiral-bound sketchbook with black-matted pages. The left page shows a faint pencil drawing of two figures in hats. In contrast, the right page displays a bold, energetic black ink sketch of a person's upper body with a stylish updo, drawn with loose, expressive lines.

A table of contents from a book, written in German. The text is in a light gray serif font, aligned to the right on a white page. Each entry includes a page number, a title, and sometimes an author's name.

An open sketchbook on a black background. The left page contains a faint pencil sketch and a circular ink stamp. The right page features an expressive, abstract ink and wash drawing of a human figure from the chest up. The head and face are heavily obscured by dark, smudged ink, while the torso is rendered with thin, energetic, and gestural black lines.

A two-page spread from an art book, pages 264 and 265, displaying three painted portraits of the artist Meret Oppenheim. The large painting on the left, Meret à l'orange, 1932–35, shows her in a pink top and black hat holding an orange. On the right are two smaller paintings: Meret Oppenheim, 1929, showing her seated in a red skirt, and Meret en bleu, 1930, a portrait of her wearing a blue veil.

A linear, whimsical drawing in pencil and colored pencil on an aged, horizontal sheet of paper. The illustration depicts a surreal procession of characters walking from left to right, including nude and partially dressed women in high heels and fantastical hats, a floating head inside a wreath, and a soldier in uniform carrying a basket of fruit and vegetables. Faint architectural sketches and handwritten French text are also visible.

An impressionistic oil painting, Cancan (Paris), 1946–47, showing three women performing the cancan on a wooden stage. In a dynamic line, they kick their legs high, their frilly white skirts with red hems flying up to reveal black stockings. The background is a swirl of dark, moody colors, with a small lamp visible on the right side of the stage.

A triptych painting of a circus scene in a grassy field under a light blue sky. On the left, a woman in a blue leotard rides a white horse. In the center, a woman in a green two-piece costume stands next to a rearing black horse. On the right, a woman in a light blue leotard rides another white horse, seen from behind. Other performers are scattered in the background. The style is soft and painterly.

The cover of the book Irène Zurkinden, die Liebe, das Leben, featuring a collage design. The central element is a watercolor sketch of a nude female torso, onto which a black-and-white photo of a hand holding a small tool is superimposed. The background is a composition of textures from old notebooks and paper in shades of brown, black, and green, including a green spiral-bound sketchbook cover.

An angled overhead view of an open book on a white surface. The two-page spread features German text arranged in columns, surrounded by numerous sketchy, blue and black ink wash illustrations of human figures in various poses.

A side-by-side comparison of two expressive oil paintings. The left panel shows a dark, intimate scene of two figures embracing, rendered in warm, somber tones. The right panel shows a fair-skinned nude woman with her eyes closed, sitting in a red chair in a more brightly lit room.

A flat lay, top-down view of several vintage notebooks against a white background. The top half of the image is a large, textured, olive-green folder. Below a black horizontal band, the corners of two smaller notebooks are visible: one is a brown, spiral-bound notebook, and the other is a tan notebook with the year 1941 handwritten on it. The white letters K.B.H.G are printed at the bottom.

An angled, overhead shot of a hardcover book titled Irène Zurkinden, die Liebe, das Leben, on a white background. The cover is a collage of brown, black, and olive-green paper, resembling sketchbooks. Centered on the cover is a watercolor sketch of a hand holding a brush painting a nude torso.

A high-angle shot of an open art book on a white background. The book displays a two-page spread of a colorful, expressive painting titled Böcklinade, 1958. The painting is a seascape with a turbulent, deep blue ocean and large brown rocks where numerous stylized pink figures are lounging and swimming. More figures are visible on a sandy beach in the distance.

A book cover for die Liebe, das Leben by Irène Zurkinden, featuring a collage of sketchbooks and a watercolor drawing of a nude female torso.

Irène Zurkinden: Love, Life

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Edited by: Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger, Irène Zurkinden

Graphic Design: Studio Marie Lusa

Artist: Irène Zurkinden

Texts by: Marie-Eve Celio-Scheurer, Rebecca Eigen, Florian Illies, Quinn Latimer, Raphael Suter, Reto Thüring

German

September 2025, 312 Pages, 120 Photos

Ebook - PDF (147,4 MB)

ISBN: 978-3-7757-6074-4

HATJE CANTZ VERLAG
Mommsenstr. 27
10629 Berlin
Germany
E-Mail: contact@hatjecantz.de

According to Article 9(7) of the GPSR Regulation, no additional security information is required for books without supplements or special functions.

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Accompanying the exhibition of the same name, this publication delves into the work of Irène Zurkinden, who spent more than half a century exploring her present through paintings, drawings, and sketches that are both intimate and powerfully expressive. True to the grace and beauty that define Zurkinden's work, the exhibition and publication highlight the visual allure of her art while also drawing attention to the critical issues she engaged with throughout her oeuvre. The focus of the catalogue is the first publication and presentation of some of Zurkinden's sketchbooks. The book also provides a special insight into her creative process and reveals her frank and unfiltered view of society, her bold and intense view of the world around her.

Swiss painter Irène Zurkinden (1909-1987) trained as a fashion illustrator in Basel before turning to the visual arts. A leading figure of the city's cultural scene, she spent her life between Basel and Paris—her place of longing. Throughout her career, she exhibited widely in Basel galleries and Swiss institutions, with her paintings and sketchbooks bearing witness to a unique view of society and her personal surroundings.

Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger | KBH.G, Basel
June 13-September 07, 2025