Hans Fronius

_{Sarajewo 1903 - 1988 Wien}

The painter, graphics designer and illustrator Hans Fronius was born in 1903 in Sarajevo into an "old-Austrian" family. At the end of World War I he moved to Graz with his family, where he remained until the 1960s. From 1922 until 1928 he studied at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts under Karl Sterrer and Alois Delug. During that time Fronius made several study trips that took him to Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and France. At a Kafka exhibition in Prague he made the acquaintance of Max Brod. One of his artistic role models was Alfred Kubin who was also a close friend. From 1931 to 1964, with the interruption of his military service, Fronius worked as art teacher, first in the province of Styria and later, until his retirement, in Mödling near Vienna. From 1964 onward he devoted his time exclusively to his art.
Due to his wide knowledge of literature, the themes of Hans Fronius’ paintings range from portraits to literary motifs, as well as representations of nature and city landscapes. Fronius, as illustrator, published close to 115 books and portfolios, particularly illustrations referencing works of Franz Kafka and Edgar Allan Poe.