Willi Dreesen

Of German origin, he settled in Valais after a bicycle journey in 1952 that took him to Visp and Brig, where he met, among others, Hans Kalbermatten in Brigerbad. Establishing himself permanently in the region, he occupied and subsequently took over the studio of the painter Alfred Grünwald, lived for several years on the Riederalp and in Goppisberg (1957–1967), and then settled in Brig-Glis. Initially trained through a Flachmalerlehre in Essen (1946–1948), he continued his studies in painting, design and sculpture at the Folkwang Kunstschule.

His activity, described as that of an artist active in Switzerland, was first presented in 1955 at Stockalperschloss in Brig. His range of techniques was broad: landscapes, watercolours, portraits, pastels, sculptures and photography all feature in his oeuvre. Among his experiments were double and multiple photographic exposures, which he called «Fotomalereien».

According to the notices, travels to Hamburg, Barcelona, Tenerife and Senegal resulted in watercolours and acrylics in strong colours. A retrospective presented at Galerie zur Matze (Stockalperschloss, Brig) documented his Valais work, while a local notice described him as a «bedeutender Maler im Oberwallis». In 1971, he married Vreny (née Kühnis), and they had two sons, Stephan (born 1972) and Oliver (born 1975).

The principal sources consulted for this notice include a Sikart entry and the artist’s personal website.