Biography
Carolus (Carol Gertsch)
Carolus was born in 1952 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. He spent his childhood and went to school in Saint-Imier. He trained in a bank, then, in parallel with his professional activity, he began to draw and paint as a self-taught artist. He took classes at the La Chaux-de-Fonds School of Art, then moved to this city, continuing his training through numerous internships in creativity, expression, and education. In 1978, he obtained his certificate to teach artistic drawing.
In 1985, Carolus discovered a new horizon by painting on walls, directly impacting his environment, and to date he has created hundreds of murals in the streets of several cities in Switzerland, France, and overseas. He is a pioneer of "street art" in French-speaking Switzerland. In 1988/9, he traveled around the world (from the United States to Indonesia via the Pacific Islands). During these trips, he painted in San Francisco, Singapore, and more.
As notable artistic interventions, for August 1, 1988, he disguised the famous Le Moléson mountain as a lion's head with the help of a helicopter, 14 mountaineers, and 600 m2 of canvas. In 1990-91, he painted the ceiling of the safe deposit box room of the Société de Banque Suisse in Landeron, creating what is certainly the only open-air safe deposit box room with this trompe-l'œil. He then painted 3 trompe-l'œils underground in the caves of Réclère, as well as a live painting for the TV show "Viva", then a "Jaguar" car in Singapore that caused a sensation in the Chinese press, and finally a 500 m2 (90x5.50 m) painting/set design for the prestigious watchmaking exhibition "Horexpo" in St-Imier (Switzerland).
In 1992, Carolus moved to the southwest of France to create artists' workshops at the Manoir de Cabirol, offering numerous courses and exhibitions. Then, with the Ecole d'art du Centre Beausoleil in Bergerac, he led numerous drawing/painting classes and courses, published a research thesis, and obtained a yoga teacher's diploma in 1999.
In 2002, he returned to La Chaux-de-Fonds where he taught visual arts. Mémoire d'Ici presented his work at the St-Imier Cultural Center in 2003. He became a member of Visarte and participated in several exhibitions, in 2009 at the Triennale, then in 2011 at the Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History. In 2006/7, he installed hundreds of Santa Clauses at the Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History.
In 2010, he had an exhibition (paintings, drawings, sketches) at the Médiathèque de Montbéliard (France), after two trips (2008/9) to the ruins of Angkor in Cambodia. In 2011, the Maison de l'artisanat et des métiers d'art (MAMA) in Marseille hosted his collection of Santa Clauses from around the world (19,000 visitors).
In 2017, Carolus retraced his artistic career on the theme of "Ma pomme" at the St-Imier Culture and Leisure Center, where he exhibited for the first time in 1975.
2019/20 Upon retirement, Carolus moved back to the Périgord and continued his series of "Magritteries" and his "pommes-terre" and exhibited in the Presbytery of St-Avit-Sénieur, then in the vault of the Palais des Evêques de Sarlat in Issigeac, and participated in the Festival du dessin et du pastel en Périgord in St-Agne, and in the Grands formats exhibition with the Société des Beaux-Arts du Périgord à Périgueux.
Carolus was born in 1952 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. He spent his childhood and went to school in Saint-Imier. He trained in a bank, then, in parallel with his professional activity, he began to draw and paint as a self-taught artist. He took classes at the La Chaux-de-Fonds School of Art, then moved to this city, continuing his training through numerous internships in creativity, expression, and education. In 1978, he obtained his certificate to teach artistic drawing.
In 1985, Carolus discovered a new horizon by painting on walls, directly impacting his environment, and to date he has created hundreds of murals in the streets of several cities in Switzerland, France, and overseas. He is a pioneer of "street art" in French-speaking Switzerland. In 1988/9, he traveled around the world (from the United States to Indonesia via the Pacific Islands). During these trips, he painted in San Francisco, Singapore, and more.
As notable artistic interventions, for August 1, 1988, he disguised the famous Le Moléson mountain as a lion's head with the help of a helicopter, 14 mountaineers, and 600 m2 of canvas. In 1990-91, he painted the ceiling of the safe deposit box room of the Société de Banque Suisse in Landeron, creating what is certainly the only open-air safe deposit box room with this trompe-l'œil. He then painted 3 trompe-l'œils underground in the caves of Réclère, as well as a live painting for the TV show "Viva", then a "Jaguar" car in Singapore that caused a sensation in the Chinese press, and finally a 500 m2 (90x5.50 m) painting/set design for the prestigious watchmaking exhibition "Horexpo" in St-Imier (Switzerland).
In 1992, Carolus moved to the southwest of France to create artists' workshops at the Manoir de Cabirol, offering numerous courses and exhibitions. Then, with the Ecole d'art du Centre Beausoleil in Bergerac, he led numerous drawing/painting classes and courses, published a research thesis, and obtained a yoga teacher's diploma in 1999.
In 2002, he returned to La Chaux-de-Fonds where he taught visual arts. Mémoire d'Ici presented his work at the St-Imier Cultural Center in 2003. He became a member of Visarte and participated in several exhibitions, in 2009 at the Triennale, then in 2011 at the Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History. In 2006/7, he installed hundreds of Santa Clauses at the Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History.
In 2010, he had an exhibition (paintings, drawings, sketches) at the Médiathèque de Montbéliard (France), after two trips (2008/9) to the ruins of Angkor in Cambodia. In 2011, the Maison de l'artisanat et des métiers d'art (MAMA) in Marseille hosted his collection of Santa Clauses from around the world (19,000 visitors).
In 2017, Carolus retraced his artistic career on the theme of "Ma pomme" at the St-Imier Culture and Leisure Center, where he exhibited for the first time in 1975.
2019/20 Upon retirement, Carolus moved back to the Périgord and continued his series of "Magritteries" and his "pommes-terre" and exhibited in the Presbytery of St-Avit-Sénieur, then in the vault of the Palais des Evêques de Sarlat in Issigeac, and participated in the Festival du dessin et du pastel en Périgord in St-Agne, and in the Grands formats exhibition with the Société des Beaux-Arts du Périgord à Périgueux.
The site contains a total of 15 artworks by Carolus in 1 countries.
Artworks (15)
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