From drawings on the tablet to sold-out art exhibitions

Art has always been an important way for Nicole Blattmann to express her emotions. Various encounters with refugees motivated the Swiss artist to take a step into the public eye. Today, Blattmann is considered a sought-after artist and sells her painted works around the world for mid-four-figure sums.

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A flight story as the initial spark

"I'm fascinated by people and their stories," says Nicole Blattmann. The trained social pedagogue has been working in refugee aid for many years and therefore knows the stories behind many faces. With her drawings on the tablet, the self-taught artist processed some of these life stories and transformed them into something positive. When she drew her relative one day at the request of an African woman who had fled, the reaction was so emotional that it acted as an initial spark for Blattmann. Over time, the Swiss artist taught herself to paint with paint and brush and created her first portraits on the easel. In this way, positive images of women full of character and expression emerge from the often sad stories. People have always been the best source of inspiration for her, she says. Blattmann still uses the tablet for the artistic process. In the meantime, however, only for sketches of those portraits that end up with paint on the canvas.

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First exhibition completely sold out

The portraits of strong personalities quickly triggered strong interest in the art market. Blattmann was able to build up a large fan base, especially via social media. At the end of 2019, the artist won one of 24 places in an art competition held by the sports magazine "tschutti heftli" with a portrait of soccer coach Jürgen Klopp. From there, the first newspapers and online media reported on the artistic talent of the 37-year-old. The exceptional talent also received requests for portraits of celebrities such as Bruce Springsteen and even Lady Gaga. Otherwise, however, her focus is on strong, unknown – mostly black – women whose stories are special. Above all, refugees are in her focus. The expressiveness and talent did not go unnoticed by national and international galleries. Quickly it rained requests for exhibitions and actions. In addition to digital formats, the artist was able to hold her first own exhibition in Switzerland some time ago. And with groundbreaking success. After only a few hours, all of the exhibited works were completely sold out. More than 15 portraits changed hands for a mid-four-figure sum each. "This is a great confirmation for me," says Blattmann.

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International demand for portraits

The coming months are already completely planned for Nicole Blattmann. She is currently preparing another exhibition for the spring, an open-air exhibition at the lake is planned for the summer; along the way, she is receiving major commissions from private individuals and influencers on a monthly basis. The Swiss artist has thus fulfilled a dream of also being able to make a living from her art. "Today, I do what I love," she says. In her home, she has now created a creative workspace for herself. Here she can devote herself to creative work with all kinds of passion. A passion that, to some extent, has already been inherited. Blattmann's great-uncle was already active as an artist in France, and the family is considered to be descendants from the lineage of the renowned fashion designer Coco Chanel.

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"She burst into tears"

In the course of her work with refugees, the Swiss artist is repeatedly confronted with poignant stories, which she uses as a source of inspiration. The focus is on the respective strong personalities. For her, it is important to know that the people she is working with are all doing well. The 37-year-old particularly enjoys it when she gets into direct dialog with people at exhibitions. Then she tells interested parties the story behind the respective work. A special encounter took place at the last art exhibition. A woman from Mexico and her husband were particularly attracted by a portrait. It showed a lady from Eritrea with a burdening biography. After her parents were kidnapped and murdered, the young girl ended up with a gang of traffickers and was eventually forced into prostitution at the age of 15. "When the lady heard her story, she burst into tears," Blattmann recalls. Such encounters, she says, are what make the artist particularly happy. After all, she wants to give the fates a voice by means of the artworks.

Anyone interested in the works of the sought-after artist can find a selection of her works at https://www.nicoleblattmann.ch/