Frieda Hunziker (Amsterdam1908-1966) was a Dutch painter who also worked as an art teacher at various schools in the Netherlands. She was part of the expressionist movement in the Netherlands during the 20th century. Until her marriage to Willem Swart in 1934, she taught at the Haarlemsche Huishoud- en Industrieschool. After marrying, she set up a 'workshop' in their home and began painting with oil paint as a free artist. Her early works were mainly landscapes and portraits in pastel. Hunziker built a network of contacts with other artists and traveled to Italy and Paris, visiting museums along the way. During these trips, she met well-known artists such as the brothers Willy and Frans Boers and Anton Rooskens.
Together with Willem, Frieda had a son, Frits. Meanwhile, she continued to expand her circle of artists, building connections with figures such as Ger Gerrits, Paul Citroen, and Wim Kersten. Willem was unhappy with her growing artistic involvement, believing Frieda should stay at home to care for Frits and that the artistic environment was having a bad influence on her. This eventually led to their divorce at the end of 1940. Frieda was granted custody of Frits and continued living at the Tuyll van Serooskerkenweg in Amsterdam.
Despite these personal challenges, Frieda persisted. She worked at several household schools while continuing her own work in her studio, producing landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and interiors. Her works from this period are characterized by a strong sense of spatial balance and decorative composition. In 1941, she exhibited at Galerie Robert in Amsterdam with other members of the Onafhankelijken group, including the Boers brothers, Gerrit van ’t Net, and Saroachim Salim. When the Kultuurkamer was established in November 1941, all five refused to register.
During the war, Frieda continued developing her personal style, focusing on objects around her—pots, trays, summer or autumn fruits on a bed of leaves, fish from the market, or a vase with a small bouquet on a chair. As travel was no longer possible, she found inspiration in her immediate surroundings. She also used Willy Boers’ studio when she sheltered people hiding from the Nazis in her own attic.
After the war, Frieda secured a permanent teaching position at the Nieuwe Huishoudschool in Amsterdam. In 1945, she participated in the ‘Kunst in Vrijheid’ (Art in Freedom) exhibition at the Rijksmuseum, which allowed artists who had refused to join the Kultuurkamer during the war to display their work again. A year later, she exhibited at the Stedelijk Museum with eleven other artists, including Willy Boers, Willem Hussem, Ger Gerrits, Piet Ouburg, and Jan Roëde. In 1947, they formed the group Vrij Beelden, which sought to promote a greater understanding of non-figurative art. Frieda was the only woman in the group and one of its most active members. This group was considered a counterpart to the international avant-garde Cobra movement. Under the influence of her fellow group members, Frieda began moving away from realism, producing mainly abstract work, although she avoided labeling it as such, emphasizing that her work always expressed human emotions.
During this period, Frieda met Piet Bosman through fellow painter Piet Ouburg, and the two moved to Van Breestraat 34. Their relationship only lasted a few years, but during this time Frieda participated in more exhibitions, both in England and Paris. In 1949, she won a competition organized by KLM to create drawings from aerial photographs, called 'Vogelvlucht' (Bird's-eye View). Through her connections with KLM, Frieda spent two months in Curaçao in 1951. This “fantastically rhythmic, captivating, and colorful country” inspired her to create vibrant compositions, shifting from pure abstraction back to a more figurative style. Using small patches of bright colors, she gave her work a dynamic and expressive character.
In the late 1950s, Frieda developed a style that defined the final period of her career. She painted with sweeping movements that transcended the boundaries of the color fields, edging toward abstract expressionism. The bright colors of the early 1950s darkened, with whites, blues, and greens dominating in various techniques on canvas.
Frieda Hunziker was recognized as one of the leading post-war Dutch artists. She participated in many major exhibitions, both nationally and internationally. From 1946 until her death in 1966, there was always at least one exhibition each year in the Netherlands where her work was shown, and from 1948 onward, she exhibited beyond Dutch borders as well. A notable highlight was her participation in the 1953 São Paulo Biennale, where her work was displayed alongside that of Piet Mondrian, Theo van Doesburg, and Karel Appel. Even when Frieda was diagnosed with breast cancer, she continued to work tirelessly.
