Swiss Artist “Kalchie”: Star Of The Art Scene At 85 Years Old

International success came overnight, at the age of 85. The artist had been working towards this night for over 40 years. Today Kalchie is an internationally renowned artist whose works were successfully presented to an international audience at the Hong Art Museum in China last year on the occasion of a European-Chinese cultural exchange.

The artist was left to her own at an early age, where she developed an affinity for artistic expression. Years later, she devoted herself to painting. The artist was born Gisela Schiel in Germany, shortly before the outbreak of World War II. She first came into contact with the art scene at the age of 12. At that time, she made a few appearances at the Koblenz Municipal Theater. She danced and acted and got her first leading role at the age of 13. She finally left her parental home at the age of 20 and moved to Switzerland. Since her 40s, she has devoted herself intensively to painting.

Art as a way of overcoming grief

In the early days, art was a means of coping with grief for Kalchie, which helped her get over the early death of her husband Paul during difficult times and eventually restored her joy in life. This is also reflected in her older works. Initially, blue predominated, without her realizing that this color symbolized mourning. However, she soon broke out of this mood and painted the first red in one of her paintings, which paved the way for a broader color palette. Since then, her works are characterized by unique and vivid compositions inspired by strong emotions such as joy, love and hope, as well as tremendous strength and energy.

Art that goes into depth

Kalchie demonstrates with her artworks that age does not matter and that creative potential is unlimited: with boundless creativity and talent, she creates dreamlike sequences of images in spectacular shades of color that encourage the viewer to contemplate both creation and his own inner life. Her works are characterized by bright colors and bold patterns that create energy, movement and longing. These are especially noticed by young people who appreciate the artist’s wealth of experience. Not only does art connect people of different backgrounds and cultures, it also brings together different age groups in a harmonious environment.

The courage with which Kalchie overcomes her age and follows her passion is remarkable and significantly inspires other artists. The energizing aura of her large-scale paintings conveys hope and love, as well as much joy with a profundity that comes from working all night. Amidst this variety of diverse emotions, Kalchie’s art makes it clear that age is not a barrier to creating art. Kalchie is a remarkable artist who brings courage and hope to many. Her tireless commitment to her art is admirable.

Unique and creative

Although the painter has only recently had her big breakthrough, she looks back on a great deal of experience. And the latter is also reflected in her works – they are unique, creative and yet taken from life. As a result, they inspire people all over the world. On her website you have the opportunity to learn more about the artist and her career as well as current projects.

Kalchie in brief

Kalchie is an 85-year-old international artist. She was born in Germany before the outbreak of World War II. At the age of 12 she was already acting at the Stadttheater Koblenz and thus had an early access to art. Her works are very intuitive, inspirational and speak their own language. At the age of 20 she left her parental home and went to Switzerland.

Kalchie has been making her own art for over 40 years and had her international breakthrough a few months ago. As part of a European-Chinese cultural exchange, her colorful works were successfully presented to an international audience at the Hong Art Museum in China last year. This year, her works will be on display at international art fairs and galleries. The Pashmin Art Gallery in Bad Tölz, Germany, kicked things off by dedicating a solo exhibition to Kalchie. The vernissage took place on January 21, 2023.