6th International André Evard Prize

03/12/2021 – 27/02/2022

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André Evard, Composition rouge, 1932 © messmer foundation

This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of André Evard’s death. In honor of this great artist, the messmer art gallery awards the international andré evard prize every two to three years. We received numerous applications again this year. 100 of the most exciting works can be seen in this exhibition.

It’s that time again! For the 6th time, the messmer art gallery is awarding the eagerly awaited, world-renowned art prize in the field of concrete-constructive art .
More than 500 artists from 47 different countries applied for this year’s prize, which means that the exhibition is once again internationally diversified . Over 100 selected works of international standard are presented in the exhibition. These represent a summary of the most exciting facets and new interpretations of geometric-abstract contemporary art .

The nominees

This prize is dedicated to one of the forefathers of concrete-constructive art , the Swiss artist André Evard (1876-1972). From 1913 Evard dealt with geometric abstractions in his paintings. This makes him one of the first non-figurative artists in Europe and one of the pioneers of Swiss constructive-geometric painting . The works of the Swiss artist form the heart of the collection at the messmer art gallery.

Andre Evard

André Evard © messmer foundation

André Evard was born on June 1st, 1876 in Renan, near the watchmaking town of La Chaux-de-Fonds and died in Le Locle in 1972 at the age of 96. From 1904 to 1909, Evard attended Charles L’Eplattenier’s master class at the Ecole d’Art in La Chaux-de-Fonds, where he studied with famous artists such as Le Corbusier, Léon Perrin, Octave Matthey and George Aubert. Le Corbusier was a close friend of Evard. The two work together on various occasions, most notably on the well-known Villa Fallet. In 1907 he made a study trip to Italy. Evard studied classical painters such as Dürer, Da Vinci and Poussin. Between 1923 and 1927 he lived in Paris and regularly exhibited in the Salon d’Automne and Salon des Indépendants, the most important exhibition halls of the time, and met well-known painters, including Braque , Delaunay and Mondrian. Throughout his life, Theo Van Doesburg tried in vain to persuade the Swiss to work in the De Stijl movement, which he co-founded. But he vehemently refused. His work combines all of his artistic influences: elements of cubism, pointillism, concrete-constructive and expressionism.

In 1936 Evard took part in the exhibition “Zeitproblemen in der Schweizermalerei” in the Kunsthaus Zürich, where he exhibited together with important artistic personalities such as Hans Arp and Max Bill. In 1937 he became a member of the Swiss artist group “Allianz”. In addition to late Cubists and Surrealists, artists such as Max Bill, Alberto Giacometti, Paul Klee, Hans Arp and Le Corbusier also joined the group. André Evard’s importance is steadily increasing in professional circles. Since the Swiss artist refused to enter the art market throughout his life, he is still quite unknown. A collaboration with gallery owners never came about. As a result, André Evard’s importance for the development of the Swiss avant-garde was increasingly forgotten and he did not receive the recognition he deserved. He remained a loner throughout his life, developing his own visual language and a specific perspective right from the start, which is also reflected in his works. In the course of his life, he created hundreds of oil paintings, a large number of drawings and around 2,000 to 3,000 watercolors and gouaches, most of which are now in the collection of the messmer art gallery, where his work and his life are scientifically examined and processed.

The winners are certain

The renowned expert jury , consisting of the collector and museum founder Marli Hoppe-Ritter from Waldenbuch and Ewald Karl Schrade , the gallery owner and initiator of Art Karlsruhe, made the decision.
The prize money of 10,000 euros was divided among the artists of the three most convincing works in the exhibition, and an audience prize was also awarded.
The winners of the 6th international andré evard prize 2022 are:

1st place

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Yoshiyuki Miura (JPN) Ellipse, 2020 Steel wires, painted red, LED

2nd place

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Heidemarie Ziebandt (D) Polygonal, 2020 Acrylic on cotton

3rd place

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Peter Somm (CH) Loop, 2020 Watercolour

The following places went to Faxe Müller (D), Scharein (D), Angelika Schori (CH), Michael Bom (NL), Mechthild Lobisch (D), Monica Maat (NL) and Jean-PierreViot (F)

audience award

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Thomas Haufe (D) Getreide 2, 2014/2019 Linden wood on MDF board, ink and acrylic