Conrad Meyer

The Zurich painter and engraver Conrad Meyer (1618–1689) can be considered the most important artist of the Swiss Baroque period. It is therefore all the more surprising that this important figure has never been the subject of a monographic museum exhibition. The Kunst Museum Winterthur is Kunst Museum Winterthur changing this with a comprehensive exhibition that highlights the significance of his work for the first time.

With his extensive oeuvre, the versatile Conrad Meyer is one of the most prominent Swiss artists of the early modern period. A cosmopolitan and courageous spirit, he was constantly seeking out new ideas and dared to break down the boundaries of the art world of his time.

His father Dietrich Meyer, Matthäus Merian's teacher, introduced him to art at an early age, and he soon mastered a wide variety of techniques. Even in his younger years, he achieved European-level proficiency. His extremely productive life resulted in a large number of works, including over a thousand mostly independent designs for prints. The New Year's sheets of the Zurich Central Library, which still exist today, can be traced back to his invention. Meyer also did pioneering work in the field of topographical nature studies and is considered the founder of Alpine painting, paving the way for subsequent generations from Calame to Hodler.

Long known among experts, his work has yet to receive the attention it deserves. A few years ago, a group of interested parties came together to produce a comprehensive and fundamental academic publication. The book, published by Schwabe in 2025, provided the impetus for the exhibition, so that the work can also be rediscovered in its original form. At the Museum Reinhart am Stadtgarten, Meyer's paintings, drawings, and prints will be on display right next to works from the Dutch Golden Age—many of them for the first time in hundreds of years.

Curated by David Schmidhauser

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Conrad Meyer