Fritz Hass (the elder)

Fritz Hass (1864-1930) was a German artist who worked in various fields such as painting, illustration, caricature and photography.

After studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, Hass settled there and worked as a freelance artist and as the director of an art school for ladies from wealthy circles. His works first came to public attention in 1892 as part of the Munich Secession, including his painting “Tot”. In the following years, he exhibited regularly at Secession exhibitions and also made a name for himself as a caricaturist.

Hass’ humorous drawings, including a cycle of eleven caricatures entitled “Satirischer Zeitspiegel”, were published in 1894. He also contributed to various magazines and created popular postcard pictures with human faces in local mountain landscapes.

Later in his career, Hass turned to biblical-mythological themes under the influence of Rudolf Steiner. During this phase, he worked in seclusion and often struggled financially. His works, which were first shown at a special exhibition in 1922, are characterized by the dissolution of traditional forms and an emphasis on the effects of colour to depict mental states or the essence of things. He is regarded as an artist who stands between Symbolism and Surrealism and is often described as a “painted philosophy”.

There is often a danger of confusion with his son, Fritz Hass junior (1902-1994), who was also active as a painter in Munich.