Max Hunziker – Chess Players

Born in Zurich, the son of a milkman, this painter, graphic artist, and illustrator is perhaps best known internationally for his stained glass windows (including the three choir windows of the Johanneskirche in Bern).

After training to be a school teacher, he decided to take up art and traveled to Florence where he immersed himself in the rich legacy of Christian imagery.  Later, supported by the Winterthur philanthropist and art collector Georg Reinhard, Hunziker studied in Paris and southern France, where his work was influenced by Paul Cezanne, Henri Matisse and Georges Rouault.

Hunziker’s works imbue simple objects with poetic and religious symbolism. Regular motifs include wings, doves, and a solitary bearded man, an everyman, representing Christ.  The Swiss art historian Adolf Reinle described Max Hunziker as a “Christian Surrealist.”