Heinz Julen

August Julen, a mountain guide and owner of a restaurant high up in the mountains at Findeln, above Zermatt (2100m above sea-level), was accustomed to seeing important people call in at his small restaurant. But Mr Heinz, of “Heinz ketchup” fame, was different, and it was as a mark of friendship that August promised him that if he had a son one day, he would call him “Heinz”. And that is what he did on the 29 February 1964 when, after the birth of his first daughter, Vrony, his wife gave birth to a son, Heinz Julen, followed by the birth of two more daughters named Leni and Moni.
But it is not only his first name or his date of birth which distinguish Heinz Julen as a rare kind of person. Brought up in a close-knit family, deeply rooted in the region, and in which religion holds and important place, he maintains a rare relationship with his surroundings marked by a spirituality which gives his works such an individual dimension and makes Heinz Julen an exceptional artist with an extraordinary career.