Niklaus Manuel Güdel

Born in 1988 in Delémont (Switzerland), Niklaus Manuel Güdel grew up between Switzerland and Costa Rica, his mother’s home country, where he frequently returns. From an early age, he trained in painting under the Solothurn artist Fritz Guggisberg and held his first solo exhibition in 2004 at a gallery in Neuchâtel. After studying literature at the University of Basel, he earned a master's degree in art history from the University of Neuchâtel. During his studies, he worked on opera productions with the Argentine conductor Facundo Agudin and founded the journal Les Lettres et les Arts, which enabled him to collaborate with numerous renowned artists and writers. Since the early 2010s, his artistic focus has become more defined, as he develops work centered on collective memory and personal recollections, using both painting and installation. He also explores the relationship between living beings and nature, often responding to current events, such as the impact of war on forests, the spread of false beliefs during the pandemic, and the effects of climate change on pest populations.

In 2022, the Musée jurassien des arts in Moutier held a major exhibition dedicated to his work, where the artist engaged with his role as an art historian for the first time. The exhibition included works by prominent artists such as Goya, Rémy Zaugg, Françoise Pétrovitch, and Yan Pei-Ming, with whom Güdel shares a passion for cigars. This exhibition, accompanied by a monographic publication, marked a turning point in his career.

His work is regularly exhibited in Switzerland and abroad. Notable solo exhibitions include the Musée jurassien des arts in Moutier (2022), the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design in San José (2016), Galerie Valérie Delaunay in Paris (2016), the Museum of Art and History in Delémont (2015), and Galerie Rosa Turetsky in Geneva (2013). He has also participated in numerous group exhibitions, including at the Musée Jenisch Vevey (2023), the Franz Gertsch Museum in Burgdorf (2023), the Musée de Charmey (2021), the PasquArt Centre in Biel (2018), Galerie C (2014, 2016, 2018), the Contemporary Art Center in Saumur (2016), and Galería Luis Adelantado in Valencia (2014).

Several monographs and exhibition catalogs have been published on his work, including by art&fiction in Lausanne (2022), the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design in San José (2016), Hatje Cantz in Berlin (2015), and Notari in Geneva (2012).

Photo © courtesy of Niklaus Manuel Güdel