Franz Gertsch (1930–2022)

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1969 marked a turning point for Bern’s art scene. In Junkere 37, Gertsch captured a moment from that period.

The painting depicts the basement venue at Junkerngasse 37, the central meeting place for Switzerland’s intellectual scene in the 1960s. Weekly readings, lectures and discussions brought together some of the country’s most progressive minds, including Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Max Frisch, Sergius Golowin and Peter Bichsel. Renowned thinkers from abroad also appeared there, among them Theodor W. Adorno, Max Weber and Timothy Leary. Gertsch was one of the co-founders of this alternative forum in 1964. One eyewitness recalled:

'Today it’s almost impossible to imagine the atmosphere at Junkere 37. There was a complete sense of intellectual freedom.'

It is hardly surprising, then, that the forum was kept under surveillance by the security services.

In 1969, the venue’s lease was terminated. Shortly after hearing the news, Gertsch used a snapshot to paint this group portrait. The mood is sombre and reflective, the future uncertain.

That same summer, Bern’s young art scene suffered another shock. Harald Szeemann, then director of the Kunsthalle Bern, who had organised a series of groundbreaking exhibitions, resigned. It proved to be a watershed, not least in Franz Gertsch’s own life. 

1969 also became a pivotal year for Gertsch personally. At the age of 39, he had a legendary experience on Monte Lema that would shape all of his subsequent work. He realised that photography would henceforth become the starting point for his painting. And with that, his career as a Photorealist began.