Foni Tissen

Foni (Alphonse) Tissen (1909–1975) was a Luxembourg schoolteacher and artist who is remembered principally for his hyperrealistic, darkly humorous paintings, many of which were self-portraits.

Tissen was born on 3 June 1909 in Rumelange in the south of Luxembourg. After primary school in Rumelange, he attended the Lycée Poincaré in Nancy before studying painting and architecture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. There he met the Luxembourg sculptor Auguste Trémont who not only became a key advisor but a close friend for the rest of his life. In 1929, he embarked on a lengthy world trip on a passenger liner before continuing his studies a few years later in Munich and Brussels.

In 1939, together with other artists, he represented Luxembourg at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Back in Luxembourg where he wanted to be a teacher, he discovered that his French qualifications were not valid and he had to resit his school leaving certificate before he could be appointed. In September 1942, after taking part in the strike against the German occupation, he was deported together with seven other teachers to the Hinzert concentration camp where the inhuman conditions were to exert a profound influence on his work, calling for an ironic level of introspection.

Returning to Luxembourg after the war, he taught at the lycée for boys in Esch-sur-Alzette where he deeply impressed his students. His art was not confined to painting but extended to mosaics, frescos, stained glass windows and ceramics, convinced as he was that art in all its forms could contribute to social consolidation. In his workshop, posters, plaques, flags, logos, medals and stamps were produced, some still in use today. An effective public speaker, he also became an active member of several art associations including Art Vivant in Differdange and Amitiés Françaises du Val de Kayl.

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