There is some rather scattered information available regarding the practice of sculptor, painter and illustrator Marianne Suhr-Schneider. She was born as Marianne Schneider in 1940 in Berne, Switzerland, where she again lives today. She was enrolled as Marianne Suhr in sculpture with professor Gustav Seitz at HFBK Hamburg from 1965 to 1969. However, all the time from her second to her fifth semester (1966 to 1968) she was on leave, the reason for which is unknown. Before she came to HFBK, Marianne Suhr had studied at HdK Berlin (today UdK) with professor Bernhard Heiliger. However, as she relates herself, she was not particularly fond of Heiliger’s approach to sculpture. Therefore, she decided to study with professor Seitz, who worked more “related to nature”.1
Most of the information available relies on the Swiss Institute for Art Research (SIK-ISEA) and their database. In 1990, Marianne Suhr-Schneider filed a form on her artistic practice for the Künstlerverzeichnis der Schweiz which might be translated as Artist’s Index of Switzerland, registered with SIK-ISEA.2 Her civil name being Marianne Suhr, born Schneider, she declared Marianne Suhr-Schneider as her artist’s name. At that time, she lived in Augsburg, southern Germany, with the same address for her private residency and her studio.
She declared sculpture and painter as her profession. In the “Information about artistic activity” she checks three areas of work, ordered by importance:
1) Sculpture / relief (bronze, plaster, wood, clay)
2) Drawing: pencil, charcoal, pastel, ink
3) Painting: watercolor, oil, tempera
Regarding exhibitions, Marianne Suhr-Schneider only mentions “Versch. Ausstellungen des Berufs.Verb.Bil.Künst.” (“Several exhibitions with the Professional Association of Fine Arts”) without specifying the place(s) of these shows. She didn’t fill in any information regarding the categories scholarships / awards / prizes, art in architecture / art in public spaces, purchases / further literature until 1990.
Almost 20 years after she left art school, and while stating her profession as an artist, this raises the question if she made a living of her art. It might as well be that Marianne Suhr-Schneider was not that much interested in gathering and sharing this information with a research institute. According to SIK-ISEA, Marianne Suhr-Schneider participated in at least two group exhibitions: Skulpturenweg: Begegnungen = Rencontres in 2005 in Nidau, and Übergänge in 2007 as part of the series of events überdenkmal.07 in Bremgarten.3 For both exhibitions, a catalogue is available. As the exhibitions took place in the canton of Berne, Switzerland, it is likely that by that time, Marianne Suhr-Schneider had moved back to her home country.
The Burgerbibliothek of Berne holds a drawing with which Marianne Suhr-Schneider applied for the scholarship “Ochs-Stipendium,” most likely in 1966 or 1967, the years she was enrolled at HFBK Hamburg.4 The “Ochs-Stipendium” is a local grant for young artists that comes with a modest amount of money, ranging, at the time, between 1,000 and 5,000 Swiss Francs. An inquiry with the Burgerbibliothek brought forward that Marianne Suhr-Schneider was actually repeatedly granted the Ochs-Stipendium, namely in the years 1968, 1970, 1974 and 1977.5 Moreover, a Google search lead me to the Swiss Dog’s Club “Eurasierfreunde,” a club for owners of the breed “Eurasier.” On their website, club members may advertise for their services – there, Marianne Suhr-Schneider offers to manufacture sculptures of Eurasier dogs.6
This article was published in February 2025 and updated in June 2025.