Born in Lucerne in 1947, Iwan Schumacher is a Swiss photographer and filmmaker with a lifelong dedication to visual storytelling. He studied photography at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Zurich (now ZHDK) and taught at the Bath Academy of Art in England between 1970 and 1972.
Early in his career, Schumacher combined teaching with research, co-authoring with Adrienne Burrows a monograph on psychiatrist and photography pioneer Hugh W. Diamond (Dr. Diamonds Bildnisse von Geisteskranken, Frankfurt, 1979; London/New York, 1990). He also collaborated with artists Peter Fischli and David Weiss, photographing their iconic clay sculpture series Suddenly This Overview, published in 1982 and 1995.
Over the years, he has worked on numerous editorial projects, including supervising Nine Books by David Weiss (Edition Patrick Frey, 2014), and publishing his own photo works such as 1972 – At Home and on the Way (2016) and Paare / Couples (2024, with Peter Pfrunder).
Since 1972, Schumacher has been continuously active in filmmaking as a cameraman, screenwriter, and director. He was a member of Nemo Film AG from 1977 to 1981 and later founded his own production company, Schumacher & Frey GmbH, in 2000. Together with Patrick Frey, he developed and produced the popular weekly TV series C’est la vie! for SF DRS, with over 100 episodes broadcast.
His documentary work includes Walter Pfeiffer – Chasing Beauty (2017), Feuer & Flamme (2014), Urs Fischer (2010), Markus Raetz (2007), and Der Wolkensammler – Jean Odermatt, San Gottardo (2005). His latest project, Urs Lüthi – Kunst ist das bessere Leben, is currently in production.
Married and father of three, Iwan Schumacher lives and works in Zurich, where he continues to explore the deep connections between art, life, and beauty through the lens of his camera.
