Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart

Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart was born in Osnabrück, Germany in 1899. He studied in Hanover and from the begining he worked as an abstract painter. In Hanover he formed 'Gruppe K' with Hans Nitzschke,and during this time he met Kurt Schwitters, Hans Arp and Theo van Doesburg. He joined 'Der Sturm' and 'De Stijl' groups, meeting Mondrian, Oud, Domela and others.

In 1937 after his work was 'exhibited' in 'Degenerate Art', in Berlin, much of it was seized by the Nazis, and he left Germany for Switzerland. In 1938 he moved to Amsterdam, where he forged a strong friendship with Max Beckmann. He stayed in Amsterdam until 1954.

It was as director of visual design at Hochscule für Gestaltung in Ulm, that he worked with avantgarde artists of a younger generation, such as Max Bill and Richard Paul Lohse. In these years Vordemberge-Gildewart became a key figure in the European modern art scene.

He died in Ulm in 1962

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