Swiss Artist Marguerite Frey-Surbek

Marguerite Frey-Surbek

(1886 Delemont – 1981 Bern)

The Swiss artist Marguerite Jeanne Frey-Surbek was known for her landscapes, nudes, still lifes and portraits. She was the wife of the painter Victor Surbek.

Marguerite Frey grew up in Delemont, but moved to Bern as a young girl, and later became a private student of the painter Paul Klee. From 1906 to 1911, she attended the Academie Ranson where she studied with Lucien Simon, Felix Vallotton, Maurice Denis and Edouard Villard. It was in Paris that she met her husband, the Swiss artist Victor Surbek. The two returned to Bern together and founded a private school for artists which they managed jointly until 1931.

Frey’s work shows the influence of her Paris years, especially of the Fauves and Nabis. Her work can be found in major museums in Switzerland including the art museums of Bern and Basel.

Sources: Sikart Database
Benezit Dictionary of Art and Artists