Gruppe 33 (English: Group 33) was an anti-fascist collective of Swiss artists founded in Basel.
History
“Group 33” was founded on the same day Nazis began burning books en masse, 10 May 1933[1] and is named after the year 1933.[2] It was formed by 15 artists out of a shared political ideology in conjunction with a growing resistance to Nazi influence in the border town of Basel.[3] The members also opposed the dominance of older conservative artists who controlled the Society of Swiss Painters, Sculptors, and Architects (German: Gesellschaft Schweizerischer Maler, Bildhauer und Architekten, or GSMBA).[4]
The collective was mostly made up of artists and architects from many different disciplines, but also included poets, musicians, actors, and writers.[4] Their work was varied in expression as well as medium, incorporating avant-garde, surrealism, constructivism, and New Objectivity.[3]
Over the course of several decades, 38 artists came to be associated with Gruppe 33. It continued to serve as a network emerging expressions and artistic movements. The group was officially dissolved in 1970.[4] In 1983, a retrospective of the group’s work was held at the Kunsthalle Basel.[5]
Founding members
- Otto Abt, painter
- Paul Artaria, architect
- Walter Bodmer, painter and sculptor
- Paul Camenisch, painter
- Theo Eble, painter
- Max Haufler, painter, actor, and director
- Charles Hindenlang, painter
- Daniel Hummel, painter and sculptor
- Carlo König, painter
- Rudolf Maeglin, painter
- Ernst Max Musfeld, painter
- Otto Staiger, painter
- Max Sulzbachner, painter
- Louis Weber, painter
- Walter Kurt Wiemken, painter
Further members
- Meret Oppenheim, artist[6]
- Kurt Seligmann, painter[7]