The extraordinary destiny of a former Swiss police officer who became an artist

This is the story of an artist who painted for years without almost anyone knowing. The story begins in Geneva, where Philippe Jaccard was born and raised. After two years in the offices of the Swiss Bank Corporation, the 24-year-old realised that this was not the world for him. He joined the Geneva police force. But then an obsession began to gnaw at him: painting. He leaves his job as soon as he can, keeps his uniform on, and rushes off to his apartment to paint. A few hours stolen from duty, a few canvases painted in a hurry. This double life could not last. At the age of 35, he suffered a serious breakdown. The Swiss authorities classified him as permanently unable to work. He never returned to work. Later, he would confide that art had saved him from the psychiatric asylum. Painting became his only escape, his absolute necessity. The disaster of the 444 canvases In 1992, Philippe Jaccard acquired his first studio. In this 80-square-meter space, he worked frantically on his ...