Martin Disler

Martin Disler was a Swiss painter, droughtman and writer. Best known for his naïve, expressive paintings and sculptures, with affinities to various avant-garde movements such as CoBrA, Neue Wilde, and Art Brut, Disler drew on psychological and mythical archetypes to further convey the angst evident in the formal construction of his works. 
Born to a family of gardeners, he was expelled from school in 1968 for disciplinary reasons. He was married to fellow artists Agnes Barmettler and later Irene Grundel. In the 1970s and 1980s, Disler worked extensively in Europe and in the USA, gaining international attention alongside artists such as Sandro Chia, Francesco Clemente and Georg Baselitz. In 1982, he exhibited works at the Documenta 7. His awards include the Bremer Kunstpreis (1985), the Preis für junge Schweizer Kunst der Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft (1987) and the Kunstpreis des Kantons Solothurn (1988).