Poetzsch was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland and went to Paris to perfect his artistic apprenticeship and entered the studio of Gustave Moreau (1826-1898), the same one frequented by Matisse and the future Fauves. He was the husband of Marie-Louise Aulagne, renowned milliner of the Faubourg Saint-Honore.

He was a rich manand frequented the traditional bourgeios locatsion such as Deauville and Triuville which he painted often. He also had a home at Yssingeaux in the Haute Loire.

From 1895, he exhibited in Paris at the Salon des Indépendants, the Salon des Artistes Français and the Salon held by the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. In particular, he painted landscapes around Velay.

Museum and Gallery Holdings:

Neuchâtel