Jean Bloé Niestlé was born in the Swiss town of Neuenburg (Neuchâtel) in 1884 and began studying painting in 1903 at the Nuremberg Kunstschule in opposition to his father's wishes. Soon, however, he decided to work independently directly from nature. Niestlé moved to Munich in 1904, where he continued his education at private art schools and submitted his first works at the Munich Secession in 1906. He soon joined the 'Neue Künstlervereinigung München', which included important artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Alexander von Jawlensky, Gabriele Münter, August Macke and Franz Marc. Artistic differences soon caused the group, which is today considered a precursor of the 'Blauer Reiter', to disperse, however. Niestlé did not seek inspiration in the avant-garde circles, but with the animal painter Bruno Liljefors. He became known above all with his realistic depictions of the local plants and flowers. Niestlé was not a friend of the group 'Der Blaue Reiter', which was founded in 1912. He nevertheless enjoyed a successful career as an artist: The collector Bernhard Kochler bought several of his works as early as 1910, the Berlin gallery owner Gurlitt arranged his first one-man exhibition in 1913 and he exhibited works at Herwart Walden's 'Erster Deutscher Herbstsalon'. A paralytic symptom abruptly ended Niestlé's career as a painter in 1919. The artist died in 1942 in his exile in Paris.