Konrad Feliksmuller German expressionist artist Date of Birth: 21.05.1897 Country: Germany

1. Conrad Felixmuller: A German Expressionist Artist
2. Education and Early Career
3. Artistic Endeavors and Publications
4. Activism and Recognition
5. Persecution and Later Years

Conrad Felixmuller: A German Expressionist Artist

Conrad Felixmuller was a German expressionist artist and one of the prominent representatives of the "New Objectivity" movement. Born on May 21, 1897, in Dresden, Germany, Felixmuller showed an early interest in art and decided to pursue it as a career.

Education and Early Career

From 1911 to 1912, Felixmuller studied drawing at the Dresden Art School. In 1912, he furthered his education in painting at Ferdinand Dorsch's private school and later enrolled at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. By 1915, Felixmuller began working as a freelance artist in Dresden, collaborating with magazines such as "Der Sturm" and "Aktion."

Artistic Endeavors and Publications

In 1917, Felixmuller became a co-publisher of the art and literature magazine called "Menschen" (People). He also published theoretical notes on art titled "Postulat" and a separate issue called "Felixmuller" under the magazine "Die schöne Rarität" (The Beautiful Rarity). However, his artistic pursuits were interrupted when he was conscripted as a medical orderly and captured in 1918.

Activism and Recognition

Felixmuller was one of the founders of the "Expressionist Workers' Society of Dresden" in 1918 and remained a member of the Communist Party of Germany from 1918 to 1922. In 1919, he co-founded and became the chairman of the Dresden New Secession, but he left the group by the end of the year.

In 1920, Felixmuller received the prestigious Great State Prize for Painting. Throughout the years from 1923 to 1933, he participated in numerous exhibitions and received various awards for his artwork.

Persecution and Later Years

With the rise of the Nazi regime, Felixmuller faced persecution as his artwork was considered "degenerate" by the Nazi cultural authorities. In 1937-1938, the Nazis confiscated and destroyed 151 of his paintings. In 1937, Felixmuller was accepted into the Berlin Artists' Union but later expelled at the end of the year.

During World War II, Felixmuller's Berlin home was destroyed during a bombing raid in 1944. From 1944 to 1964, he lived and worked in a restored shed in Tautenhain near Leipzig. In 1945, he briefly stayed in Soviet captivity.

In 1951, Felixmuller became a professor at the University of Halle on the Faculty of Education. He participated in an art exhibition at the Moritzburg State Gallery in Halle the same year. His works were also showcased in a 1957 exhibition at the Düsseldorf Museum of Art.

From 1964 to 1977, Felixmuller resided in East Berlin, German Democratic Republic (GDR), and occasionally in West Berlin's district of Zehlendorf. During this time, he held numerous exhibitions in Germany and abroad. In 1973, his comprehensive exhibition took place at the Berlin Artists' Union.

In 1974, Felixmuller received the Gold Medal at the Fourth International Biennial of Graphic Arts in Florence. He continued to create and exhibit his artwork until his death on March 24, 1977, leaving behind a significant contribution to German Expressionism. Some of his notable paintings include "Self-Portrait" (1920), "Hanna and Sonia" (1921), and "The Workers Returning Home" (1921).