Hans Erni Turns 100 - Hans Erni, the Swiss Abstract Painter, designer and sculptor was born on February 21, 1909.

Hans Erni was born in Lucerne in 1909 and studied at the École des Arts et Métiers and then at the Académie Julian in Paris from 1928-1929.

Before the second World War Hans Erni formed artistic friendships with Picasso and Braque who are considered to have influenced his work.

Erni is a master of various kinds of printmaking, including etching and lithography. He is particularly known for illustrating postage stamps, activism, lithographs for the Swiss Red Cross, and participation on the Olympic Committee. Hans Erni has a museum dedicated to his works in Lucerne, the city he calls home.

Hans Erni Turns 100 – A look back on the work of Swiss artist Hans Erni…

Famous Swiss People – Henry Dunant (1828-1910), Humanist; His exceptional vision led, as co-founder, to the creation of the Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva (now International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC). Joint recipient of the first Nobel peace prize 1901).

Henry Dunant, who was born in Geneva on 8 May 1828, came from a devout and charitable Calvinist family. After incomplete secondary schooling, he was apprenticed to a Geneva bank. In 1853, he travelled to Algeria to take charge of the Swiss colony of Sétif. He started construction of a wheat mill, but could not obtain the land concession that was essential for its operation. After travelling to Tunisia he returned to Geneva, where he decided to approach Napoleon III to obtain the business document he needed.

He wrote A Memory of Solferino, which eventually led to the creation of the International Committee for Relief to the Wounded, the future International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Dunant was a member and acted as secretary. He was now famous and was received by heads of State, kings and princes of the European courts. But his financial affairs were floundering and he was declared bankrupt in 1867. Completely ruined, he was in debt for almost a million Swiss francs (1860s value).

During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, he visited and comforted the wounded brought to Paris and introduced the wearing of a badge so that the dead could be identified.

When peace returned, Dunant travelled to London, where he endeavoured to organize a diplomatic conference on the problem of prisoners of war; the Tsar encouraged him but England was hostile to the plan.

Henry Dunant died on 30 October 1910. The date of his birth, 8 May, is celebrated as World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day.