With her poetic and inquisitive gaze, Isa Hesse-Rabinovitch (1917–2003) always followed her own path, creating a remarkable body of work. An illustrator, photographer, and filmmaker, she spent her life crafting captivating and playful visual worlds. Trained in Zurich and Vienna, and later active in both German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino, she moved boldly between applied and fine arts and, as the wife of Heiner, Hermann Hesse’s son, also within the poet’s closest circle. Hermann Hesse quickly recognized her artistic talent and entrusted her with the illustration of several of his writings. Their mutual affection formed the basis of an equal dialogue – lasting until his death in 1962. Only in the late 1960s did the artist turn to the camera, becoming a pioneer of Swiss auteur cinema.
The temporary exhibition Isa Hesse-Rabinovitch! invites visitors to encounter an independent artistic voice, so far little recognized, who combined different media and expressive languages. Ticino offered her an ideal place for retreat and focus, as well as the freedom for refined experimentation. Discover an artist who enriched the Hesse family’s artistic legacy in a deeply personal way – and whose work still speaks to us today with surprising freshness.
Prices
- The complete list of prices and reductions is available on the Museum website
