1915 La Chaux-de-Fonds
1979 Montana

Roger Descombes was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland in 1915 and lived in France since 1919. At the age of twelve he had his first exhibition, showing sixty watercolours and received the ‚Conté'-prize for drawing two years later. Since 1930 Descombes worked as an illustrator for newspapers in Paris. In 1933 the young man began to study at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, continuing his studies at the Glasgow School of Art between 1936 and 1940. The following years he worked as an art teacher and drew illustrations and fashion drawings for ‚Vogue' and other fashion journals. Between 1954 and 1960 Descombes exhibited his paintings and graphics at his own gallery in Geneva. From 1961 to 1962 he worked as a graphic artist for the botanical garden in Geneva. The impressions and the knowledge he gained during this time were also reflected in his artistic work, in which images of plants often play an important role. In 1962 the graphics of flowers were shown at the ‚Cabinet des Estampes' in Geneva. The following years Descombes worked as a freelance artist and came to the fore with several exhibitions in France and Switzerland. The artist died in Montana in Switzerland in 1979.

Descombes, R.