Born in
Wolfwil, Switzerland, Kissling went through apprenticeship as a plasterer before moving to Rome for 13 years, studying under the sculptor
Ferdinand Schlöth. At the 1883 National Exhibition in Zurich, Kissling showed a portrait bust of the Swiss politician
Alfred Escher. As a result, he was given the 1889 commission for
Escher's statue in bronze and granite, in front of the Arch at
Zürich Hauptbahnhof. Kissling became one of the most widely employed Swiss sculptors for monuments and memorials, although his heroic classical style was increasingly regarded as outdated towards the end of his career. His other works include: • The William
Tell Monument in
Altdorf, the result of an 1892 national competition and probably Kissling's best-known work. It was inaugurated on 28 August 1895. •
Jünglingsfigur,
Villa Tobler in Zürich, • statue of
Joachim Vadian in
St. Gallen, 1904, •
Rizal Monument in
Rizal Park,
Manila, 1912. A national monument, erected on the park where the Philippine
national hero was executed. ==Selected works==