Claire Ochsner

Claire Ochsner lives in Frenkendorf near Basel in her publicly accessible sculpture garden, with gallery and studio; she works in the middle of her colorful fantasy world. Over 100 large and small sculptures, colorful fantasy creatures and windmills can be visited in her sculpture garden. Other interior sculptures, two- and three-dimensional works such as pictures and mobiles are exhibited in the gallery. In two studios of the artist, visitors can follow the creation of the artworks.

The Swiss-French double citizen grew up in the Zurich region. After completing her studies in mathematics at the University of Zurich, Claire Ochsner devoted herself entirely to the fine arts. She studied at the art academies in Zurich and Amsterdam for example Prof. Mitachek and Max Bill.

First she illustrated children’s books, then created paintings and graphics. In further steps followed Mobiles as well as small and large sculptures, sun and above all wind-moved sculptures.

In the year 2000 Claire Ochsner received the culture price of the Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank. She has already published several catalogs of her works and exhibitions. She has great success with large solo exhibitions, for example. in the Botanical Gardens of Zurich and Geneva, in the Kongresshaus Zurich, in the Villa Mettlen in Muri near Bern, in the “Park in the Green” in Münchenstein near Basel 2003, in Ascona am See 2007 and in Schwerin 2009.

Claire Ochsner is a member of Visarte (Professional Association of Visual Art Switzerland), Sculpture network and was part of the Art Basel-Landschaft art commission until 2014.

Works by Claire Ochsner are also set up all over Switzerland, such as the hospital façade and a wind sculpture in Davos, Giraffalla in front of the entrance to the Zug Cantonal Bank, several sculptures in the Park Forum Wylihof, in front of the hospital in Interlaken, in the Willhelm Schulthess Clinic in Zurich, in Urdorf, Witikon, Kursaal Bern, in Ascona, Geneva …

Abroad, Claire Ochsner is represented in many countries, in France, England, Germany (in Ulm and Osnabrück with big solar sculptures …) as well as the Netherlands, India, Canada, China, South Africa, …

Today the main focus of the artistic work of Claire Ochsner are big colored sculptures, partly with wind – and move solar energy or splash water. Claire Ochsner builds these sculptures out of metal and fiberglass-reinforced polyester, stainless steel ball bearings and weather-resistant colors, sometimes in close collaboration with trained craftsmen. Bright colors, organic shapes, movements and a floating lightness spontaneously convey the joie de vivre of people of all ages.