I felt that I was an artist before I decided to become an architect
* with ANNE-MARIE FISCHER
written Abigail Hart
When Anne-Marie Fischer talks about art, it is clear she lives and breathes it. Fischer’s description of her art shows a connection so intense it comes across as strange, yet it sounds so natural in her words. As she tells her story, her background reveals the reason behind the intensity—Fischer gave up everything for her art, and she’s not looking back.
Her first comment, “I felt that I was an artist before I decided to become an architect,” reveals her truth: that art is what she is and who she has always been. The journey to get there, however, was a long one.
Anne-Marie Fischer
Atelier, Zurich
Born in Paris and raised in Zurich, Fischer spent over 20 years as an architect before deciding to pursue visual art full time. As an artist, she explores different media like painting, printmaking, collage, sculpture and relief. She also teaches at House of Color, a school for artists in Zurich, and is a passionate artist educator.
“I show [my students] how to create endlessly from themselves.”
Fischer’s light of inspiration lit her way to becoming a professional artist, and she uses that inspiration to light the way for her students at the House of Color. Even during the pandemic, when the school turned to virtual classes, she found a way to inspire her students to become more independent. When she talks about her students, it’s obvious they inspire her as well, and that she cares about them deeply. She talks about their success and their happiness so fondly; you can tell that their success is her success, and their happiness is her happiness.
.artist talk
Anne-Marie Fischer
speaks with
Abigail Hart
first published in:
issue 30, 01/2021
Anne-Marie Fischer
Doing preparation for the mural art project “Out of the Blue”, 2020
seen by Kuster Frey
“I took the risk to free myself from everything, to devote myself entirely to art. And it seems to be working.”
Fischer’s own art draws from her entire story seamlessly. The little girl enraptured by her great-grandfather’s workshop comes out in the way Fischer lays out her color palettes. An architect’s detailed floorplan models underly her large-scale works. Fischer thrives in multi-step, mixed media projects that she makes look simple, just as she made complicated business and architectural problems look simple while running her own firm. The easy precision in her work makes the unfinished details all the more appealing, like a person who has embraced their quirks not as flaws but as prized possessions.
Fischer’s transition from architect to artist feels like the stuff of dreams. Anyone who has ever had to make small talk at a work function or a first date has probably experienced the question, “what would you be doing, if you weren’t doing this?” The implication is, if you were brave enough, strong enough, free enough or confident enough, what dream would you run towards? Maybe you have an answer prepared, one that does not show your vulnerability. Or maybe you smile and tell the story of your dearest dream, knowing it is only a fantasy.
Anne-Marie Fischer
Wood Sculptures
“I want to do what moves me deeply, does me good and corresponds to my own being.”
Anne-Marie Fischer ran towards her dream and found her footing when she arrived. She has put down roots and is free to explore, learning new techniques, exploring new avenues in painting and sculpture, and staying true to her background with space-related projects. You can tell that it was not easy, there may have been some heartbreak along the way, but that the difficulty made the peace at the end of the road all the sweeter.
Fischer gives the impression that, after doing the hard part of committing to her art fully, everything else is easy. She describes her process as involving plenty of drafts, revisions or modifications, but she does not label them failures. There is no fear that a project or piece won’t work out, because what sustains her is not success but creation. If she is creating, then she is living, and everything else will work itself out.
credit header imageAnne-Marie Fischer
Atelier, Zurich