Hans Hartung

Olympsche Spiel Munchen Hartung, 1972
Poster, 19 1/2" x 25"

Hans Hartung was born in Leipzig, Germany on September 21, 1904. He studied philosophy and art history at Leipzig University before attending the Fine Arts Academy of Dresden. He exhibited for the first time in Dresden in 1931. In 1935, Hartung was almost arrested in Nazi Germany for attempting to sell his abstract Cubist paintings, which were deemed incompatible with Nazi ideals. After losing a leg fighting with the French Foreign Legion in North Africa, Hartung was awarded French citizenship and the Croix de Guerre by the French government. His first solo exhibition was in Paris in 1947. His paintings had become monochromatic gestural paintings with long rhythmic brushstrokes, sometimes characterized as scratches. He died on December 7, 1989.

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