This seasonal exhibition features a selection of sculptures by Hans Josephsohn (1920–2012), known for his deeply personal explorations of the human form in works that oscillate between figuration and abstraction. Throughout his career, the Swiss artist developed a unique visual language that conveys a profound sense of presence and timelessness. His sculptures ‘effortlessly command the space around them, yet are elusive, reclusive, withdrawn,’ writes Jackie Wullschläger in the catalogue accompanying Josephsohn’s current exhibition at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, ‘they all have a reserve so deep as to be confrontational.

Ranging from 1969 to 1998, the works on view comprise his distinctive half-figures, recumbent sculptures and reliefs, allowing the viewer to trace Josephsohn’s stylistic progression towards the abstract. While his works from the 1960s and 1970s are still rooted in figuration, bearing distinguishable facial features and body shapes, from the 1980s onwards, the artist alludes to the body with increasing subtlety.

About the artistHans Josephsohn was born into a Jewish family in what was formerly German Königsberg in 1920. He briefly attended art school in Florence before relocating to Switzerland in 1938, where he continued to live and work until his death in 2012. He studied sculpture under Otto Müller and established his own studio in 1943, where he continued to work for the rest of his life. His work has been shown in numerous solo exhibitions in Switzerland since 1956, and he has garnered international acclaim since the early 2000s.