Born in 1926 in Trieste, Madeleine Spierer belongs to a generation of artists who, despite having dedicated her whole life to art, due to the circumstances of the time, always operated on the margins of the art world.
Her relationship with the artist Bram van Velde underlines this ambiguous position, very close to the nuclei of art but far away at the same time. It is not until the nineties, already at a mature age, that she begins to exhibit, mainly in Geneva and Basel, Switzerland. During her life, having been raised in Geneva (because of World War II), she travels a lot to Paris, Madrid, Oslo and spends long periods in New York and El Salvador. During 2013, at the age of 88, she decided to move to Catalonia, Spain to carry out a large and significant work in an apartment in Bisbal d'Empordà.
With the help of friends, assistants and collaborators, she executed the COSMOS & GRUTA installation made entirely of paper and papier-mâché for 4 years.

Spierer's work has always explored the axis between the inner world and the outer world, a liminal space that she has explored since she was 12 years old when she began to draw and paint. The installation communicates this delicate sensitivity to life and all that it entails. Madeleine dares, throughout her career, to explore far beyond what is 'beautiful', what is pleasant, what is comfortable. In her works she explores, through a significant variety of techniques, materials and supports, without limits imposed by the conventional.

She paints with earth, sand, pigments, makes stains, tears paper, prints crookedly, all part of a fidelity to her inner process, materializing it in the world.

Sana López Abellän - (Independent Curator)
Image by Jordi Cane. 

Exhbitions (selection)

1962 Corsinge Castle Geneva, CH
1975 Gallery YVY Geneva, CH
1976 Gallery Callejo-Monod Geneva, CH
1997 Open Studio Geneva, CH
1997 La Gallery in Geneva, CH
1997 Centre de Loisirs de Chêne-Bourg Geneva, CH
1998 Gallery "Brot und Käse" Soral-Geneva, CH
1998 Gallery Capt - Collective Geneva, CH
1999 Centre de Loisirs de Chêne-Bourg Geneva, CH
1999 Art Basel - stand Gallery Krugier-Ditesheim Basel, CH
1999 Open Studio Geneva, CH
2000 Maison Rochette - Collective Onex - Geneva, CH
2001 Open Studio Geneva, CH
2003 Vila Dutoit - Collective Geneva, CH
2003 Galerie d'Octobre - Engravings Carouge-Geneva, CH
2003 Art Basel - stand Gallery Krugier-Ditesheim Basel, CH
2004 Cultural Centre Luis Poma Sant-Salvador, AC
2004 Centre d'Art en l'Ile -Big format prints - Collective Geneva, CH
2004 Vila Dutoit - Engravings - Collective Geneva, CH
2004 Maternitat - Big format prints- Collective Geneva, CH
2004-2005 Maternitat - Cycle "Generations" Collective Geneva, CH
2005 Museu Rath - “Discover- Rediscover'' Collective Geneva, CH
2005 Open Studio Geneva, CH
2006 Galerie Corps et Scène - "Converses" Galeria Cos i Escena) pictorial improvisations with the jazz quartet Kéa Lausanne, CH
2006 Espace Diamono - "Leporello" Collective Carouge-Geneva, CH
2007 Vila Dutoit - Collective Geneva, CH
2007 Espèce d'Espace - Collective Experiences 4 mans, 6 mans Geneva, CH
2007 Espace Mesquins - Collective Geneva, CH
2008 Galerie Pinacothèque Geneva Open Studio Geneva, CH
2008 Espace Nouveau Vallon - Contemporary drawing Chêne-Bougeries Collective
2008 Chorus- "Conversaciones 2" -pictorial improvisations with Chloé Lévy (v),Ingvo Clauder(p.el), Claude Jordan (fl,el),Philippe Ehinger (clar.b, clar) Lausanne, CH
2008 Fondation Régine Heim - "Conversaciones 2" i pictorial improvisations with Chloé Lévy (v) Ingvo Clauder (p) Chambesy-Geneva, CH
2008 Vila Dutoit - "Sempre Creadors" Collective Geneva, CH
2009 Atelier Zen Sôto - 'Open Doors', Geneva, CH
2009 Vila Dutoit - 'Formats 15/50' Collective Geneva, CH
2010 Andata Ritorno - Installation en Geneva, CH
2010 Foyer de la Comédie - Solo Geneva, CH
2010 Vila Dutoit - Exhibition with Monique Cassagne Geneva, CH
2010 Centre de Loisirs de Chêne-Bourg - Solo Geneva, CH
2013 Vila Dutoit - 'Vues d'Dobles eles' Collective Geneva, CH
2013 Andata Ritorno - Geneva, CH
2017 Exhibition -Artesana i Tribu -La Bisbal d'Empordà, Girona, ES
2019 Bolìt - Tributi - El Cosmos i La Gruta - Girona, ES
2019 La Scala - 'Vida Unánime' Retrospectiva -San Martì Vell, Girona, ES
2024 Galerie Ruine - Visions, Geneva, CH