Zeitzeuge Hans Erni

On February 21, 2009, Hans Erni celebrates his hundredth birthday. The painter, sculptor, poster creator, and illustrator still works daily in his studio. His political stance often provoked controversy, and his art has both friends and foes. In 1935, he organized a groundbreaking exhibition of abstract art and created the monumental landscape painting in 1939. A decade later, the banknotes he designed were destroyed for reasons of national security. In the 1960s, he produced stirring posters advocating for the protection of water and air. A year ago, he portrayed former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The book, illustrated with numerous color images, recounts and documents memorable events and encounters in the life of the artist and contemporary witness Hans Erni.