Albert Anker was born in Ins, a farming village in the Berner Seeland, to Samuel Anker, a veterinarian, and Marianne Elisabeth Anker, née Gatschet. He began studying Theology in Bern and Halle (Germany), until, in 1853, his father gave him permission to pursue a career as an artist. He thereafter moved to Paris in 1854 and studied painting at the Ecole Impériale et Spéciale des Beaux-Arts de Paris from 1855 to 1860. In 1864 he married Anna Rüfli, who had formerly been working as a governess in Denmark and Russia. They had six children, of whom only four would reach adulthood. During 30 years, Albert Anker used to spend summers in Ins, while he returned to work in Paris in the winter months. Albert Anker quickly became very popular among the Swiss art public, due to the general accessibility of his paintings. Anker was interested in everyday peasant life, which he depicted in so called genre paintings. He portrayed children in their daily activities, such as knitting or learning, as well as the life of the elderly, and the procedures of village politics. His art is neither romanticised, nor is it very critical in social respects, which has made it prone to attempts of usurpation from right wing isolationistic political parties, although there is no evidence that Albert Anker might have shared such views.
Albert Anker was born in Ins, a farming village in the Berner Seeland, to Samuel Anker, a veterinarian, and Marianne Elisabeth Anker, née Gatschet. He began studying Theology in Bern and Halle (Germany), until, in 1853, his father gave him permission to pursue a career as an artist. He thereafter moved to Paris in 1854 and studied painting at the Ecole Impériale et Spéciale des Beaux-Arts de Paris from 1855 to 1860. In 1864 he married Anna Rüfli, who had formerly been working as a governess in Denmark and Russia. They had six children, of whom only four would reach adulthood. During 30 years, Albert Anker used to spend summers in Ins, while he returned to work in Paris in the winter months. Albert Anker quickly became very popular among the Swiss art public, due to the general accessibility of his paintings. Anker was interested in everyday peasant life, which he depicted in so called genre paintings. He portrayed children in their daily activities, such as knitting or learning, as well as the life of the elderly, and the procedures of village politics. His art is neither romanticised, nor is it very critical in social respects, which has made it prone to attempts of usurpation from right wing isolationistic political parties, although there is no evidence that Albert Anker might have shared such views.
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