Henriette MEYRAT (* 1874, † 1954)

(Henriette Thérèse Meyrat)

Henriette Meyrat (Henriette Thérèse Meyrat) was a Swiss artist who became known for her paintings and poetry.

Henriette Meyrat was born in Saint-Imier (Canton of Bern, Switzerland) in 1874.

She mainly painted landscapes. However, Henriette Meyrat was not only a painter, but also a writer. She published several volumes of poetry: Cordes d’or: poésies pour enfants (1940) and L’espoir triomphant (1941), the latter of which was illustrated by her brother Jacques Meyrat.

In her day, Henriette Meyrat was long overshadowed by other artists, especially men,[1] as was the case with other female artists in Switzerland. As early as the 19th century, there was a significant proportion of female artists in Swiss art production. However, female artists were denied admission to the GSMBA (Society of Swiss Painters, Sculptors and Architects), with Ferdinand Hodler, who had long held a leading role in the GSMBA, campaigning particularly strongly against the admission of women.

As a result, female artists in Switzerland founded their own artists’ association, initially in Lausanne in 1902, called the ‘Société Romande des Femmes Peintres et Sculpteurs’. Among other things, this association gave rise to today’s Swiss Society of Women Artists (SGBK).

Today, Henriette Meyrat is receiving the recognition she deserves, for example at the Musée de Saint-Imier (Canton of Bern) in the Salle des Beaux-Arts, where works by Henriette Meyrat are presented in a permanent exhibition.

Henriette Meyrat died in 1954 in Saint-Aubin (Canton of Fribourg, Switzerland).

Artist directories
– Henriette Meyrat at SIKART Lexikon

– Henriette Meyrat at „Schweizerische Gesellschaft Bildender Künstlerinnen (SGBK)“-Member directory

Sources
[1] Salle des Beaux-Arts – Musée de Saint-Imier (last accessed: 21.8.2025)

[2] Huber, Dorothee: Zur Präsenz der Künstlerinnen im schweizerischen Kunstbetrieb 1890-1928, in: Zeitschrift für schweizerische Archäologie und Kunstgeschichte = Revue suisse d’art et d’archéologie = Rivista svizzera d’arte e d’archeologia = Journal of Swiss archeology and art history, Volume 43 (1986), Issue 4: L’art suisse s’expose, p. 399, 401. (last accessed: 21.8.2025)