Wilhelm Schmid
Born in 1892.
Died in 1971.
Wilhelm Schmid (1892–1971) is an artist whose documented career spans Switzerland, Germany and France, with periods of residence and returns shaping the known biographical trajectory (f1, f3, f6, f11). The dates commonly given for his life are 1892–1971 (f1).
He begins his training as an architectural draughtsman with Albert Froelich in Brugg; this technical training appears to mark the starting point of his documented artistic activity (f2). On a personal level, the source mentions his marriage to Maria Metz in 1918 (f13).
In 1912 he leaves for Berlin, where he becomes part of an artistic milieu then in a state of intense activity (f3). In the German capital, he collaborates with the architects Peter Behrens and Bruno Paul and, according to the source, later serves as studio director for Paul Renner (f4).
In 1923 several pictorial publications appear under his name, including Pierrots Lunaire and Puccini Butterfly (f5). The same source states that these pieces, along with other titles, are or have been held in Lugano, and notes the transfer of part of his collection to that city (f14).
From 1924 he settles in France, dividing his activity between Paris and the south of the country (f6). According to the source, this period in France enriches his palette with Mediterranean references mentioned in the entries consulted (f19).
His return to Berlin, recorded in 1930, coincides with his discovery of French Surrealism and, according to the dossier, encourages the emergence of a magical realism in his work (f7).
