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Foni (Alphonse) Tissen (1909–1975) was a
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
ish schoolteacher and artist who is remembered principally for his hyperrealistic, darkly humorous paintings, many of which were self-portraits.


Early life and education

Tissen was born on 3 June 1909 in Rumelange in the south of Luxembourg. After primary school in Rumelange, he attended the Lycée Poincaré in Nancy before studying painting and architecture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. There he met the Luxembourg sculptor
Auguste Trémont Auguste Nicolas Trémont (31 December 1892 – 23 October 1980) was a Luxembourger painter, sculptor, and medallist. He specialised in sculptures of animals, with a particular emphasis on big cats. Life After spending his childhood in Luxembourg, ...
who not only became a key advisor but a close friend for the rest of his life. In 1929, he embarked on a lengthy world trip on a passenger liner before continuing his studies a few years later in
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
and
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
.


Career

In 1939, together with other artists, he represented Luxembourg at the
1939 New York World's Fair The 1939 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1939–1940 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, New York, United States. The fair included exhibitio ...
. Back in Luxembourg where he wanted to be a teacher, he discovered that his French qualifications were not valid and he had to resit his school leaving certificate before he could be appointed. In September 1942, after taking part in the strike against the German occupation, he was deported together with seven other teachers to the
Hinzert concentration camp Hinzert was a concentration camp in Nazi Germany, in what is now Rhineland-Palatinate, from the border with Luxembourg. Between 1939 and 1945, 13,600 political prisoners between the ages of 13 and 80 were imprisoned at Hinzert. Many were in trans ...
where the inhuman conditions were to exert a profound influence on his work, calling for an ironic level of introspection."Foni Tissen: Dossier de Presse"
. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
Returning to Luxembourg after the war, he taught at the lycée for boys in Esch-sur-Alzette where he deeply impressed his students. His art was not confined to painting but extended to mosaics, frescos, stained glass windows and ceramics, convinced as he was that art in all its forms could contribute to social consolidation. In his workshop, posters, plaques, flags, logos, medals and stamps were produced, some still in use today. An effective public speaker, he also became an active member of several art associations including ''Art Vivant'' in
Differdange Differdange (; or locally ; ) is a Communes of Luxembourg, commune with List of towns in Luxembourg, town status in south-western Luxembourg, west from the Luxembourg City, country's capital. It lies near the borders with Belgium and France an ...
and ''Amitiés Françaises du Val de Kayl''.


Artistic work

Tissen aimed to spread art to all parts of society in order to "elevate the spirit of man" as he put it. While his postage stamps, posters and the logo for the emergency services have become part of Luxembourg's collective memory, his close attachment to his native Rumelange and the area's Red Rocks can be seen in his landscapes and engravings."Foni Tissen (1909-1975)"
, ''European Institute of Cultural Routes''. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
He illustrated the 1972 Luxembourg postage stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the publication of '' Renart''. The most typical part of his work is however the series of paintings he referred to as his ''Maennerscher'' or little men, many of them self-portraits constituting a human one-man comedy. The symbols he uses guide the spectator to the extensive workings of his imagination. All in all, his work reveals his search for what he called "the truth which is beauty and sincerity". When he died in Luxembourg City on 5 February 1975, Tissen left an extensive collection of paintings and other artistic artifacts, most of which are presented in the commemorative book ''Rétrospective Foni Tissen 100 Joer''."Rétrospective Foni Tissen 100 Joer"
. Retrieved 19 December 2010.


External links


Luxemburger Wort's "100 Jahre Foni Tissen"Virtual gallery for Foni Tissen's 100th anniversary


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tissen, Foni 1909 births People from Rumelange 1975 deaths 20th-century Luxembourgian painters 20th-century male artists Luxembourgian artists Luxembourgian educators Male painters