Paintings and sculptures by Marlyse Marzer, a Nyon-based artist inspired by nature, travel, and Africa
Marlyse Marzer was born on 30 March 1951 in Vich (Canton of Vaud, Switzerland), where she grew up in a modest family of winegrowers and farmers as the only daughter among three brothers. From an early age, she loved drawing and dreamed of studying fine arts. However, her parents did not consider art a suitable profession. It was only after her marriage that she was able to devote herself to artistic pursuits. She attended courses in drawing, painting, modelling, ceramics and sculpture.
From 1983 to 2007, she worked in a studio located in the basement of her home, then in the attic of her apartment until 2010. Since then, she has had a dedicated studio in Nyon. In 2007, she travelled to Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), where she learned the lost-wax bronze casting technique from a local artisan. Her many journeys across Africa have had a lasting influence on her artistic style.
Marlyse Marzer has always regarded art as a personal passion rather than a professional career and never sought public recognition. Nevertheless, as her collection of works grew, she occasionally opened her studio to visitors and sold a number of her creations. She began with small acrylic, pastel and sanguine paintings before exploring ceramics and eventually developing her distinctive slender sculptures made from wire, plaster and glued fabric.
