The Ins house of Swiss painter, Albert Anker-untouched for more than a hundred years-has been opened to the public.
Built in 1803 by Anker's grandfather-a veterinarian, like the artist's father-the house included stables, haylofts, pantries and vaulted cellars. Anker added an art studio in 1859, one year before he inherited the house. He later expanded his studio and the living space, and added a heating system. The house passed on to his family after Anker's death in 1910, and has remained largely unchanged through seven generations. "The unique art studio that Albert Anker built in his house and which stayed nearly untouched until this day," describes the Center Albert Anker, "conveys a lot of the [artist's] spirit and the contemporary taste of the 19th century... It's the only one of its kind from this era with mostly original installment. The visitor expects the artist to return to his easel any minute!"
To accommodate guests, a modest wooden building was also built on the garden, designed by Ins architect Marcel Hegg. It is used to store and display Anker's drawings and watercolors, donated by the artist's great-great-grandson, Matthias Brefin, to the Stiftung Albert Anker Haus in 1994. Kept within the Anker family, these works are not as widely known as his paintings.
A technically brilliant painter, Anker is known for his depictions of Swiss rural life. He was content to make approachable art, saying: "One has to shape an idea in one's imagination, and then one has to make that idea accessible to the people." His works are also frequently seen on Swiss postage stamps and other media.
Anker remained deeply attached to Ins all his life, living solely in the region starting 1891. He also painted several Ins residents, whose biographies will be displayed alongside Anker's works.
