News

Otto Braschler and Paul Martig: Two Painters from Chur, Rediscovered

16. September 2026

Otto Braschler and Paul Martig were once prominent figures in the Graubünden art scene. Now their works are returning to Chur together—inviting viewers to rediscover these two distinctive painters.

They were once the rising stars of the Graubünden art scene: Otto Braschler (1909–1985) and Paul Martig (1903–1962). Both grew up in Chur, both were educated in Geneva, and both set out early to find their own artistic paths. While Braschler returned to his homeland, Martig was drawn to Paris in the late 1920s. There, where Cubism, Surrealism, and Abstraction were revolutionizing the art world, he moved among the studios of Neuilly-sur-Seine and Montparnasse. Braschler also visited him in Paris.

Their paths took them far apart—yet their art remained closely connected to the world of objects, people, and landscapes. Both remained committed to figurative painting, developing their own distinctive visual language in the process. Martig, the painter who died young, was nearly forgotten over time. Braschler, on the other hand, is known today primarily for his cityscapes of Chur—his diverse body of other work has remained largely in the shadows.

Now, after many decades, their works come together again for the first time in a joint exhibition at the Stadtgalerie. Compiled from the estates of the two artists, the exhibition offers a fresh perspective on their work and their era. It tells a story of artistic independence, of new beginnings and perseverance—and of two men from Chur whose paintings may have been waiting to be seen in a new light.

Exhibition at the Stadtgalerie
September 25 through October 17, 2026
Monday through Saturday, 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Opening Reception
, September 25, 2026
, starting at 4 p.m.

Closing reception ( with refreshments)
October 17, 2026
5:00 p.m.

Further information
regarding the article by Olivier Berger (published in the Südostschweiz on September 6, 2026)

Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.