Expressionistic work was executed in 1910 by Swiss painter, graphic artist, art teacher and monument conservator Heinrich Müller, also called Haiggi (1885 in Basel - 1960 in Basel) during his activity in Paris in 1909-1910.

Heinrich Müller grew up in Kleinbasel and had been friends with Paul Basilius Barth since childhood. After dropping out of law school, he attended the Debschitz School and the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich for three years, where he was taught by Heinrich Knirr.In the winter of 1909/1910, Müller stayed in Paris. During this time he was in contact with Jean Jacques Lüscher, Numa Donzé, Otto Roos, Charles Bernoulli, Ernesto Schiess, Karl Theophil Dick, August Simonius, Andreas Speiser and Edgar His.

In the winter of 1910/1911 he traveled to Greece with Emil Waldmann and his wife and created numerous landscape paintings. Further study trips took him to Tunis, Mallorca, southern France and Italy. In 1913 he stayed in Berlin for several months, came into contact with the early Expressionists and created woodcuts under their influence.

Müller was a member of the Basel section of the Society of Swiss Painters and Sculptors (GSAMBA) and a member of the commission of the Basel Art Association. He later worked on the Art and Building Committee of the Kunstmuseum Basel. Towards the end of the 1930s, Müller became interested in the design of Basel´s cityscape and became an employee of the canton´s monument preservation department. As such, he was responsible for the restoration of numerous buildings in the city. In 1940, Müller became the main teacher of the painting classes at the Basel Trade School, succeeding Arnold Fiechter. From him Thomas Keller and other Basel artists learned the lantern painting technique, the modeling of carnival masks and the production of decorative structures. He also gave them orders for the carnival. Müller belonged to the closest circle of intellectual originators of the Basler Kunstkredit. He was also a member of the informal Basel artist group of dark-toned painters. This also included Paul Basilius Barth, Jean Jacques Lüscher, Numa Donzé, Otto Roos, Otto Klein and Karl Theophil Dick.

Heiggi Müller was a representative of representational painting. He mainly painted portraits, landscapes and still lifes. Niklaus Stoecklin was a n

Literature: Wikipedia in on-line; Karl Dick: Heinrich Müller (1885–1960). In: Basler Stadtbuch, 1962. Vollmer III, 1956, 437 s; ThB XXV, 1931, 231

Inscription: signed and dated 1910 lower left.

Technique: oil on cardboard, on the back : another study of the same artist and the label of a frame maker in Basel. Original gilt frame.

Measurements: unframed w 13 3/4" x h 11" (35 x 28 cm), framed w 18" x h 15 1/3" (45,5 x 39 cm).

Condition: in very good condition.