Willy Spiller‘s (*1947) signature mark involves capturing images that re-tell everyday stories, using
techniques of fine art and documentary photography. The series New York, 1977 - 1985 was shot in a period
during which Willy Spiller lived in The Big Apple. He roamed the streets far and wide to capture a glimpse
of the speed, the energy and the absurdity of the late 70s and early 80s in New York City, USA.
Whether he focused his camera on subway rides, dancers at the legendary Studio 54 or hip-hop culture in the
streets of New York, Spiller captured all the many facets of a bygone world in images as varied, as fascinating and
as absurd as that world itself had been.
In the process, Spiller combines his curiosity for his fellow human beings with a profound understanding of the beauty
of the banal and mundane in the world around him. This secures his place in the annals of great Swiss photography.
Like many of the well-known names that came before him, he managed to translate empathy into form through
strength of willpower. Or, as his long-time friend and companion Paul Nizon so aptly put it: „I‘ve often asked myself
what made Willy Spiller‘s photography so forthright, so refreshing and so riveting. I believe it‘s a blend of unabashed
curiosity and roguish complexity combined with a fraternal sense of compassion. This isn‘t something you learn at
school: it‘s more a question of class, of predisposition, and ultimately of character. Behind the swashbuckling, wheeler-
dealing façade there‘s a dreamer, a man hungry for life and beauty. And that is the reason he sides with humanity,
which is just another way of saying that he has an innate love of mankind. That is the way he sees things. And he is
driven by a highly developed artistic energy.“
techniques of fine art and documentary photography. The series New York, 1977 - 1985 was shot in a period
during which Willy Spiller lived in The Big Apple. He roamed the streets far and wide to capture a glimpse
of the speed, the energy and the absurdity of the late 70s and early 80s in New York City, USA.
Whether he focused his camera on subway rides, dancers at the legendary Studio 54 or hip-hop culture in the
streets of New York, Spiller captured all the many facets of a bygone world in images as varied, as fascinating and
as absurd as that world itself had been.
In the process, Spiller combines his curiosity for his fellow human beings with a profound understanding of the beauty
of the banal and mundane in the world around him. This secures his place in the annals of great Swiss photography.
Like many of the well-known names that came before him, he managed to translate empathy into form through
strength of willpower. Or, as his long-time friend and companion Paul Nizon so aptly put it: „I‘ve often asked myself
what made Willy Spiller‘s photography so forthright, so refreshing and so riveting. I believe it‘s a blend of unabashed
curiosity and roguish complexity combined with a fraternal sense of compassion. This isn‘t something you learn at
school: it‘s more a question of class, of predisposition, and ultimately of character. Behind the swashbuckling, wheeler-
dealing façade there‘s a dreamer, a man hungry for life and beauty. And that is the reason he sides with humanity,
which is just another way of saying that he has an innate love of mankind. That is the way he sees things. And he is
driven by a highly developed artistic energy.“
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Artworks by Willy Spiller
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Willy Spiller was born in 1947 in Zurich, Switzerland. Besides fine art photography he also specialises in cultural reporting and corporate communication. He is the only Swiss contributor to the famous photo agency Getty Images.
After receiving his master‘s degree from the Zurich University of Art and Design (ZHDK) Spiller pursued further education in Milan, where he gained experience in a wide variety of photographic disciplines. In the years that followed, the majority of his work was rooted in photojournalism. Travelling on his own, or with various writers, Spiller visited all five continents on his many assignments. His images have been published in numerous leading European newspapers and magazines.
Spiller received prizes for both his published and exhibited work, most notably for his acclaimed books Pictures of a Local Reporter and Subway New York: People in the Underground. His latest book, Zürich 1967–1976, was published by EDITIONBILDHALLE in 2019. The title speaks for itself, geographically and in terms of content: it shows the people who populate this city. Spiller took these pictures between 1967 and 1976 as a photo reporter, when he was in his twenties and hungry for adventure.
Spiller‘s photographs have been on display in major exhibitions in Cairo, Milan, New York, Paris and Zu-rich. His work has been acquired by private collectors as well as by world-renowned art collections, such as Kunsthaus Zürich, Swiss National Museum, Fotostif-tung Schweiz, Getty Collection, Musée l‘Elysée, and The Swiss Center in New York.
After receiving his master‘s degree from the Zurich University of Art and Design (ZHDK) Spiller pursued further education in Milan, where he gained experience in a wide variety of photographic disciplines. In the years that followed, the majority of his work was rooted in photojournalism. Travelling on his own, or with various writers, Spiller visited all five continents on his many assignments. His images have been published in numerous leading European newspapers and magazines.
Spiller received prizes for both his published and exhibited work, most notably for his acclaimed books Pictures of a Local Reporter and Subway New York: People in the Underground. His latest book, Zürich 1967–1976, was published by EDITIONBILDHALLE in 2019. The title speaks for itself, geographically and in terms of content: it shows the people who populate this city. Spiller took these pictures between 1967 and 1976 as a photo reporter, when he was in his twenties and hungry for adventure.
Spiller‘s photographs have been on display in major exhibitions in Cairo, Milan, New York, Paris and Zu-rich. His work has been acquired by private collectors as well as by world-renowned art collections, such as Kunsthaus Zürich, Swiss National Museum, Fotostif-tung Schweiz, Getty Collection, Musée l‘Elysée, and The Swiss Center in New York.
CV
Photography class at the Zurich Kunstgewerbeschule 1962-1966. Stay in Milan 1966-1968. Photo reporter for Züri-Leu, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Tages-Anzeiger-Magazin, Stern, etc. Reportage trips to South America, Asia, Africa 1969-1977. Stay in New York 1977-1984. Photo reporter for Schweizer Illustrierte 1984-1989. Freelance since then. Reportages with the writers Hugo Loetscher, Paul Nizon, Gerold Späth. Member of the picture agency Getty Images New York. Achievement Award of the City of Zurich 1970; Federal Scholarships 1973, 1975; Kodak Book Prize 1977.
SINGLE PUBLICATIONS
«Sketches» (with Urs Lüthi & David Weiss)
Edition Galerie Toni Gerber, Bern 1970; «Menschen am Rande (Brasilien)»
Direktion für Entwicklungszusammenarbeit und humanitäre Hilfe DEZA, Bern 1974
«Musikinstrumente und wie man sie spielt», Atlantis, Zürich 1975
«Die Stadt. Bilder eines Lokalreporters», Kossodo, Genf 1977
«Subway New York», Stemmle, Schaffhausen 1986
«Sterben in Canindé» (Portfolio), Der Alltag, Zürich 1990
«Giger-Bar Chur» (8 Postkarten), H.R. Giger, Zürich 1992; Paul Nizon
«Adieu à l'Europe», Actes Sud, Arles 2003; «Willy Spiller. Stromschnellen der Freiheit» (Kat.), Kunstverein Uri, Altdorf 2012
«Hell on Wheels. Photographs from the New York Underground 1977-1984», Sturm & Drang, Zürich 2016
«Zürich 1967-1976», Edition Bildhalle, Zürich 2019
COLLECTIVE PUBLICATIONS
«Photographie in der Schweiz von 1840 bis heute», Niggli, Teufen 1974
«Gold-Vreni», Ringier, Zurich 1989
«I primi 10 anni» (Kat.), Galleria Gottardo, Lugano 1991
«600 illustrierte Schweizer 1990-2000», Ringier, Zurich 1999
«Durchs Bild zur Welt gekommen. Hugo Loetscher und die Photographie»
Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2001
«Il lungo addio – Der lange Abschied. 138 Fotografien zur italienischen Emigration in die Schweiz nach 1945», (Text D. Bachmann), Limmat, Zurich 2003; Roy Oppenheim (Hg.)
«Alex Sadkowsky. Bio-Foto-Kultografie», Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2009
«Damit die Züge fahren. Mensch und Technik am Gotthard-Basistunnel», NZZ, Zurich 2013.
SOLO SHOWS
Swiss Center, New York 1982 («Subway New York»)
Centre Culturel Suisse, Paris 1986
Folio, Zurich 1990 («Brasilien»)
Hochschule für Musik, Zurich 2002 («Zusammenspiel»)
Panasia Galerie, Zurich 2004 («Abschied von Europa»)
Haus zum Bracken, Zurich 2007 («Mondlicht»)
Coté West Living, Zurich 2011 («Turn your face towards the sun and the shadows fall behind you»)
Haus der Kunst Uri, Altdorf 2012 («Willy Spiller. Stromschnellen der Freiheit»)
Galerie Walter Keller, Zurich 2012 («Mondlicht»)
Photobastei, Zurich 2015 («Zürich – Los Angeles»)
Bildhalle, Zurich 2017/18 («Street Life»)
2019 («Zürich 1967-1976»)
GROUP SHOWS
Schweizerische Stiftung für die Photographie im Kunsthaus, Zurich 1974 («Photographie in der Schweiz von 1840 bis heute», Wanderausstellung), 2001 («Durchs Bild zur Welt gekommen. Hugo Loetscher und die Fotografie»)
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Lausanne 1980 («Jeune photographie zurichoise»)
Pressehaus, Zurich 1990 («Gottfried Keller»), Galleria Gottardo, Lugano 1991 («l primi 10 anni»)
Istituto Svizzero, Rom 2003 («Il lungo addio – Der lange Abschied», Wanderausstellung)
«Bi4. Quarta Biennale dell'immagine. Il mondo in camera», Chiasso/Ligornetto/Como 2004
Haus der Kunst Uri, Altdorf 2011 («Berge versetzen»)
Villa Grunholzer, Uster 2013 («Augenblick»)
SINGLE PUBLICATIONS
«Sketches» (with Urs Lüthi & David Weiss)
Edition Galerie Toni Gerber, Bern 1970; «Menschen am Rande (Brasilien)»
Direktion für Entwicklungszusammenarbeit und humanitäre Hilfe DEZA, Bern 1974
«Musikinstrumente und wie man sie spielt», Atlantis, Zürich 1975
«Die Stadt. Bilder eines Lokalreporters», Kossodo, Genf 1977
«Subway New York», Stemmle, Schaffhausen 1986
«Sterben in Canindé» (Portfolio), Der Alltag, Zürich 1990
«Giger-Bar Chur» (8 Postkarten), H.R. Giger, Zürich 1992; Paul Nizon
«Adieu à l'Europe», Actes Sud, Arles 2003; «Willy Spiller. Stromschnellen der Freiheit» (Kat.), Kunstverein Uri, Altdorf 2012
«Hell on Wheels. Photographs from the New York Underground 1977-1984», Sturm & Drang, Zürich 2016
«Zürich 1967-1976», Edition Bildhalle, Zürich 2019
COLLECTIVE PUBLICATIONS
«Photographie in der Schweiz von 1840 bis heute», Niggli, Teufen 1974
«Gold-Vreni», Ringier, Zurich 1989
«I primi 10 anni» (Kat.), Galleria Gottardo, Lugano 1991
«600 illustrierte Schweizer 1990-2000», Ringier, Zurich 1999
«Durchs Bild zur Welt gekommen. Hugo Loetscher und die Photographie»
Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2001
«Il lungo addio – Der lange Abschied. 138 Fotografien zur italienischen Emigration in die Schweiz nach 1945», (Text D. Bachmann), Limmat, Zurich 2003; Roy Oppenheim (Hg.)
«Alex Sadkowsky. Bio-Foto-Kultografie», Scheidegger & Spiess, Zurich 2009
«Damit die Züge fahren. Mensch und Technik am Gotthard-Basistunnel», NZZ, Zurich 2013.
SOLO SHOWS
Swiss Center, New York 1982 («Subway New York»)
Centre Culturel Suisse, Paris 1986
Folio, Zurich 1990 («Brasilien»)
Hochschule für Musik, Zurich 2002 («Zusammenspiel»)
Panasia Galerie, Zurich 2004 («Abschied von Europa»)
Haus zum Bracken, Zurich 2007 («Mondlicht»)
Coté West Living, Zurich 2011 («Turn your face towards the sun and the shadows fall behind you»)
Haus der Kunst Uri, Altdorf 2012 («Willy Spiller. Stromschnellen der Freiheit»)
Galerie Walter Keller, Zurich 2012 («Mondlicht»)
Photobastei, Zurich 2015 («Zürich – Los Angeles»)
Bildhalle, Zurich 2017/18 («Street Life»)
2019 («Zürich 1967-1976»)
GROUP SHOWS
Schweizerische Stiftung für die Photographie im Kunsthaus, Zurich 1974 («Photographie in der Schweiz von 1840 bis heute», Wanderausstellung), 2001 («Durchs Bild zur Welt gekommen. Hugo Loetscher und die Fotografie»)
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Lausanne 1980 («Jeune photographie zurichoise»)
Pressehaus, Zurich 1990 («Gottfried Keller»), Galleria Gottardo, Lugano 1991 («l primi 10 anni»)
Istituto Svizzero, Rom 2003 («Il lungo addio – Der lange Abschied», Wanderausstellung)
«Bi4. Quarta Biennale dell'immagine. Il mondo in camera», Chiasso/Ligornetto/Como 2004
Haus der Kunst Uri, Altdorf 2011 («Berge versetzen»)
Villa Grunholzer, Uster 2013 («Augenblick»)
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