Franz Kaiser (1888 – 1971) A Hamburg avantgardist / Painting, graphics & sculpture

Franz (Friedrich) Kaiser was born in Düren in 1888. After attending the Royal School of Arts and Crafts in Berlin, Kaiser worked there as an architect, among other things. From 1920, he set up his own business as a painter, sculptor, interior designer and craftsman. After a period as an inflation saint during the 1920s, he settled in Hamburg and devoted himself to his self-taught work, which comprises more than 1,500 pieces. Expressive sculptures, collages, numerous drawings and paintings make up his oeuvre.
As a critical contemporary who was persecuted during the Nazi era, he lived through two world wars, the golden 1920s, the Nazi era and the period after 1945. The Freundeskreis Franz Kaiser, which has been active since spring 2017, is committed to bringing the now forgotten artist and his extensive oeuvre closer to the public and paying tribute to them.

Image: Franz Kaiser, The Tree of Life, late 1960s, oil on cardboard