Alessandro Calame Biography
Alessandro Calame (1816 - 1864) was a Swiss painter and engraver.
Since he was a child, he showed his artistic talent and, to help his mother, began to paint Swiss views that tourists bought as souvenirs. Thanks to the bank's patrons, he frequented the atelier of the Genevan painter François Diday from 1829. He soon left his administrative job to dedicate himself entirely to painting, which soon met with success.
In 1835 he opened a drawing school in Geneva and at the same time continued his artistic production. Since then he has been able to live from his art, characterized by an undiminished loyalty to the same subject: Nature, with a predilection for the Swiss Alpine landscape. Become the undisputed master of the Alpine landscape.
In 1837, he created his first large painting, “Orage sur la Handeck”, which earned him the gold medal at the Exhibition of Fine Arts in the city of Paris (1841). In 1842, he received the cross of the Legion of Honour, following the exhibition of his works, including: Monte Cervino, the Jungfrau, Lake Brienz, Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa. This last painting is considered his masterpiece and marks the pinnacle of his career.
In 1853, Napoleon III bought him his canvas “Le Lac des Quatre-Cantons”, which won an award at the Universal Exhibition. In 1863, the painter fell ill and his doctor advised him to go under a milder sky. He moved to Menton where he died on 17 March 1864.
