Bildnis des ersten Präsidenten der Zürcher Künstlergesellschaft, Johann Martin Usteri (1763-1827), im Hintergrund das Denkmal für Salomon Gessner auf dem Platzspitz

The oil portrait of Johann Martin Usteri (1763–1827), created by David Sulzer, shows a personality from Zurich's cultural life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries who was interested in and active in many different areas. Usteri was a merchant, politician, poet and draughtsman. As co-founder of the 'Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft' (EN: Zurich Artists' Society) and its president from 1803 to 1827, as well as the first president of the Swiss Art Association (1806–1827), he played a key role in promoting art in Switzerland. It was on his initiative that the Zurich ‘painters’ books’ formed the basis of the later art collection. The portrait, painted from memory on the occasion of the opening of the gallery in the Künstlergüetli, combines personal and cultural elements. In the background is the monument to Salomon Gessner on Platzspitz, erected between 1789 and 1791, a tribute to the Zurich poet and artist whose legacy Usteri sought to continue. A laurel branch rises up symbolically on the right, honouring Usteri's services to art and his cultural heritage. Usteri's best-known literary work, the song ‘Freut euch des Lebens’ (1793), remains a lasting testimony to his creativity and optimism to this day. The portrait thus combines biographical tribute and cultural context and commemorates Usteri's significant contribution to Zurich and Swiss art history. Source