Unternavigation

Karl Walser archive

Karl Walser (1877–1943) knew how to use his artistic skills in different fields. Besides his work as an artist, he worked as a book illustrator, produced private and public murals, and created stage sets and costume designs. The works held in the National Library showcase this versatility.

Archiv Walser — Various works from the Karl Walser archive (Photo: NL, Marco Stalder)

Karl Edmund Walser, brother of the writer Robert Walser, was born in Teufen (AR) and completed an apprenticeship as a decorative artist in Stuttgart. Between 1899 and 1914 he lived in Berlin and became a board member of the Berlin Secession and later a member of the Deutsche Künstlerbund (German Artists’ Association). While in Berlin, he worked as an illustrator for the publisher Bruno Cassirer and designed the majority of his book illustrations. He also completed murals for the private residences of renowned figures. In addition to several study trips to Belgium, France, Spain, Italy and Japan, Karl Walser produced stage sets for opera and theatre from 1903. He also received commissions for book cover designs and book illustrations. He returned to Switzerland in 1917 and mainly worked on the painterly decoration of public spaces, such as the Amtshaus in Zurich, the Stadttheater in Bern and the Grossratssaal at Bern City Hall.

The Karl Walser collection came about through various acquisitions made between 1976 and 1982.

Content and scope

The archive comprises over 400 individual sheets, including drawings in pen and ink, pencil and colour pencil; watercolours, lithographs, a small number of etchings and sample prints of various publications, costume designs and mural designs.
The collection is supplemented by draft publications and a sketchbook from Walser’s trip to Japan.

Additional archive holdings on Karl Walser are kept at the Robert Walser Centre in Bern and the Neues Museum Biel/Nouveau musée Bienne.