Adolf Herbst
Born in 1909.
Died in 1983.
Adolf Herbst (1909–1983), listed by SIK-ISEA under identifier 4000728, is documented through the collections and archives of Swiss museums. The Kunsthaus Zürich catalogue makes it possible to trace his work through works that entered the collections at different dates and by various means of acquisition. It records, in particular, oil paintings on canvas and a bronze sculpture.
A few works provide an overview of the subjects and media represented in the records. Rückenakt vor Spiegel (1946) and Der Maler, Selbstbildnis (1955) place the human figure in the foreground; Früchte (1950) and Stilleben mit Blumenstrauss (c. 1940) belong to the genre of still life.
Meditation (1977), also held at the Kunsthaus, is a bronze sculpture. These titles and material details document the diversity of the subjects and supports used by Herbst, without being sufficient to characterise the formal treatment of each work.
The archives of the Kunsthaus Zürich attest to Herbst’s presence in the institution’s exhibitions: in 1951, alongside Walter Müller, Albert Pfister and Henry Wabel; in 1966, with Arnold d’Altri; and in 1979, in an exhibition bearing his name. The Kunstmuseum Luzern had already presented his works together with those of Arnold d’Altri in 1948. The Kunsthaus documents record several acquisitions from 1950 onwards, a loan from the Canton of Zurich for the 1955 self-portrait from 1957 onwards, as well as a bequest from Willy Junker in 1967.
These archives attest to his presence in Swiss collections and exhibitions from the middle of the twentieth century.
