Ferdinand Springer. Gesture and mind

Based on an exceptional donation, the exhibition highlights the work of painter-engraver Ferdinand Springer (1907-1998). Born in Berlin to a German father and Swiss mother, Springer trained as an engraver in Paris at Atelier 17, before moving to Grasse in 1938, where he became close to a community of artists, in particular Jean Arp, Sophie Taeuber-Arp and Sonia Delaunay.

After starting out as a figurative engraver, Springer discovered abstraction, which played an essential role in his work. Fascinated by the burin, he perfected his technique, experimenting with copper in the manner of a sculptor and creating relief compositions imbued with colour. Whether sacred or symbolic in nature, his prints reflect his interest in ancient civilizations and the natural world around him. An artist at the crossroads of several arts, Ferdinand Springer developed a poetic language infused with musicality.

Exhibition curated by Anne Deltour, interim curator of the Cabinet cantonal des estampes, and Margaux Honegger, curatorial assistant