Max Theynet
Born in Colombier on 18 April 1875.
Died in Colomb on 20 November 1949.
Swiss · Post-Impressionism and an individual form of Fauvism · Neuchâtel landscape painting
Max Robert Theynet (1875–1949) was a Swiss painter and watercolourist, born and deceased in Colombier in the canton of Neuchâtel. His training included three years in St Gallen under Jean Stauffacher, four years at an art school in Zurich, and a six-year stay in Paris, where he worked in the studio of Luc-Olivier Merson. After returning to Colombier, he established his permanent studio there.
His principal subjects were the shores of Lake Neuchâtel, landscapes of the Jura and Valais, winter scenes and floral still lifes. He also worked in watercolour and painted on faience. Historical catalogues document his participation in Swiss touring exhibitions from 1904, at the Nemzeti Szalon in Budapest in 1910, the Musée des beaux-arts du Locle in 1913 and the Kunsthaus Zürich in 1924.
His mature paintings are distinguished by energetic brushwork, frequent use of the palette knife, substantial paint surfaces and luminous colour. Although his work has affinities with Post-Impressionism and Fauvism, it developed into a markedly personal language. In Colombier, Theynet also passed on technical knowledge to Walter Mafli, who regarded him as one of his teachers.
In 2018, seven paintings entered the collection of the Musée des beaux-arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds through a bequest. The catalogue work “Bateaux sur le lac” is fully consistent with Theynet’s recurring lakeside imagery, although its autograph status should still be confirmed by examining the signature and reverse.
The works by Max Theynet presented by Swiss Art Gallery extend this artistic journey and take their place naturally within this corpus.
