Rudolf Zender (born June 27, 1901 in Rüti ZH ; † November 24, 1988 in Winterthur ; real name: Rudolf Zehnder ) was a Swiss painter, graphic artist and draftsman. He is considered an important representative of Swiss painting and is the most important Winterthur painter of the 20th century.

Rudolf Zender's ancestors were farmers, his father left the farming world and became a high school teacher. The family name Zehnder is related to the medieval "tithe" (the tax system of that time). The ancestors on his mother's side ran an embroidery factory in Teufen, Appenzell, and his mother was a handicraft teacher.

Rudolf Zender was born on June 27, 1901 in the Zurich Oberland. He spent his childhood together with his three sisters in F...