Gabrielle Graessle
Gabrielle Graessle is a Swiss-born artist whose intuitive, emotionally charged paintings explore the nuances of the human condition. Born in Zurich, she studied graphic design at Zurich Art School, where her first exhibitions took place during her student years. After living in the South of France for over a decade, Gabrielle now resides in a small village near Almería on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Her work, often figurative and filled with personality, embraces instinct over precision—favoring expressive mark-making, bold forms, and poetic symbolism.
Drawing from personal experience, memory, and place, Gabrielle continues to cultivate a deeply human and distinctly lyrical visual language. She often develops the image ideas in numerous, spontaneous charcoal drawings. They are the starting point for her paintings. Since 2020 she presents her art at art fairs worldwide, around the globe like Barcelona, Madrid, Miami, New York, Seoul, Busan and Mexico as well solo shows in Germany, Spain, USA, ASIA and several group shows around the globe.
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Gabrielle Graessle: SPOTLIGHT
YOU’VE LIVED IN FRANCE AND NOW RESIDE IN A MEDITERRANEAN VILLAGE IN SPAIN. HOW HAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH PLACE AND LANDSCAPE SHAPED YOUR WORK OVER THE YEARS?
Living in different places has deeply influenced how I see and feel things. The colors, the light, the pace of life—all of it seeps into my work. Each location leaves a mark, like layers in a painting.
YOUR WORK HAS A STRONG SENSE OF PERSONALITY AND EMOTION. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THEMES OR IDEAS THAT CONTINUE TO RESURFACE IN YOUR PRACTICE?
Fashion, film, strong women, luxury.
WHAT WAS YOUR FEELING WHEN 4BYSIX INVITED YOU TO BE PART OF THIS PROJECT?
I think it’s great to be able to support social projects through art.
4BYSIX USES ART AS A VEHICLE FOR SOCIAL IMPACT. WHAT ROLE DO YOU BELIEVE ART SHOULD PLAY IN TODAY’S WORLD—BOTH PERSONALLY AND POLITICALLY?
Art should connect, bring joy, inspiration… seduce.
I’m not interested in politics in art.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE PIECE YOU CREATED FOR THIS AUCTION? HOW DOES IT RELATE TO YOUR CURRENT BODY OF WORK OR YOUR PERSONAL STORY?
I love jewelry—not necessarily from Tiffany. I don’t wear real jewelry; I often make my own. But the fact that diamonds are billions of years old, that this timeless beauty has been on earth since the beginning, fascinates me. The sparkle of these stones captivates me.
My paintings tend to be large, and I often use glitter alongside spray and acrylic paint. A diamond ring felt like a natural choice. The first one, from 2020, was a bling-bling ring… diamond kitsch that sparkles. And from that, these Tiffany engagement rings were born.
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YOUR WORK OFTEN EVOKES A STRONG SENSE OF INSTINCT AND EMOTION. HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN A PAINTING IS FINISHED—IS IT A FEELING OR A DECISION?
Both. But it’s definitely easier to know when it’s not finished.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE THE AUDIENCE TAKES AWAY WHEN THEY ENCOUNTER YOUR PIECE IN THIS CONTEXT OF GIVING BACK AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT?
I’d be delighted if the viewer felt better through my work—if they felt inspired, found lightness, and could draw out positive energy… and pass it on.
AS SOMEONE WHO’S EXHIBITED WORK SINCE YOUR STUDENT DAYS, HOW HAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO CREATIVITY CHANGED—OR STAYED THE SAME—OVER TIME?
That was many years ago. The world has changed since the ’80s—music, art, national borders, fashion, everything… and me too. Just relocating from Switzerland to southern France, then to western France, and now Andalusia—different people, different languages, different habits—has shaped me. After a long break from art (I spent 15 years renovating houses), I returned to painting in 2017 and decided to go big—large canvases, 180 x 260 cm.
In the ’90s, I mostly drew. I never worked on canvas. I’ve essentially reinvented myself since then and discovered new ways of expressing things. Drawing with charcoal has remained a constant—those works have become calmer and smaller, but I still love charcoal as a raw, direct medium.
I often use those drawings as the starting point for a painting, though the result is never a 1:1 translation.
LOOKING AHEAD, WHAT KINDS OF STORIES OR EMOTIONS DO YOU HOPE TO CONTINUE EXPLORING THROUGH YOUR WORK?
Subjects can be so diverse. I like topics that touch me—whether personal or from films, TV, newspapers…
I can’t name anything specific. Curiosity and the joy of the new or unexpected are definitely important. Curiosity leads to exciting moments, to new images.
I don’t like to stay on one topic too long. But it’s possible I’ll revisit certain themes again in a few years.
