Fritz Brandtner | |
|---|---|
| Born | Friedrich Wilhelm Brandtner 28 July 1896 Danzig, Prussia |
| Died | 7 November 1969 (aged 73) |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Education | largely self-taught and in Danzig with Franz August Pfuhie at the University of Danzig |
| Movement | German Expressionism, modernism |
| Spouse | Mieze Preuss (m. 1929) |
| Awards | Jessie Dow Award (1946); Canada Council Visual Arts Award (1968) |
| Elected | C.S.P.W.C.; C.G.P.; C.S.G.A.; F.C.A. |
Friedrich Wilhelm Brandtner (28 July 1896 – 7 November 1969), known during his life as Fritz Brandtner, was a German-born Canadian artist and art instructor.[1] During his career he worked variously as painter, printmaker, graphic artist, illustrator, muralist, and set designer.[2]
Biography
Brandtner emigrated to Canada from Germany in 1928. Following a short stay in Winnipeg he settled in Montreal in 1934. He was a member of the Contemporary Arts Society in Montreal, serving as its first secretary.[3] He was also a passionate art-educator, teaching classes with Canadian painter Marian Dale Scott. Brandtner introduced notions of the German Expressionists to Canada, especially the works of Bauhaus. Later, he introduced abstraction into his practice.[4]
In 1936, together with Norman Bethune, George Holt, Elizabeth Frost, André Charles Biéler and Hazen Sise, he founded the Children's Art Centre in Montreal. The centre offered free art classes to local children.[5][6][7] In 1937, Charles Goldhamer took Brandtner and painter Caven Atkins to paint in the hills north of Baie St. Paul, an early introduction for Brandtner to the north shore of the St. Lawrence.[8] His work was also part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1948 Summer Olympics.[9]
Brandtner died in Montreal on 7 November 1969. A close friend of Brandtner, Montreal art dealer Paul Kastel, of the Kastel Gallery, was named executor of Brandtner's estate. Kastel continued to promote Brandtner's work over the following four decades. In 2011, Galerie Valentin in Montreal held a retrospective exhibition of Brandtner's works.[10]
References
- ↑ "Fritz Brandtner - National Gallery of Canada | National Gallery of Canada". Gallery.ca. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
- ↑ MacDonald, Colin (1967). A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, vol one, A to F. Ottawa: Canadian Paperbacks. pp. 77–80. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ↑ "Canadian Painting in the 30s: part 7. The Eastern Group and the Contemporary Arts Society". National Gallery of Canada. Archived from the original on 25 October 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ↑ Murray 1994, p. 15-16.
- ↑ "Fritz Brandtner".
- ↑ Hern, Frances (22 February 2012). Norman Bethune: The Incredible Life and Tragic Death of a Revered Canadian Doctor. p. 52. ISBN 9781552778128.
- ↑ Niergarth, Kirk (26 February 2015). The Dignity of Every Human Being: New Brunswick Artists and Canadian Culture between the Great Depression and the Cold War. p. 64. ISBN 9781442663206.
- ↑ Duffy & Smith 1982, p. 49.
- ↑ "Fritz Brandtner". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
- ↑ "Fritz Brandtner exposition rétrospective - Retrospective exhibition Fritz Brandtner by Numérique Archambault Nu/Ar Inc". issuu. 24 November 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
Bibliography
- Bradfield, Helen (1970). Art Gallery of Ontario: the Canadian Collection. Toronto: McGraw Hill. ISBN 0070925046. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- Duffy, Helen; Smith, Frances K. (1982). The Brave New World of Fritz Brandtner. Kingston: Agnes Etherington Art Centre. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- Murray, Joan (1994). Origins of Abstraction in Canada: Modernist Pioneers. Oshawa: Robert McLaughlin Gallery. Retrieved 26 June 2020.