Joseph Fassbender was a German painter

Painting

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...

 and draughtsman

Draughtsman

A draughtsman or draftsman , is a person skilled in drawing, either:*drawing for artistic purposes, or*technical drawing for practical purposes such as architecture or engineering...

.

Life and art

During the 1920s Fassbender was trained in painting by Richard Seewald at the Kölner Werkschulen

Kölner Werkschulen

The Kölner Werkschulen were a series of schools in Cologne training artists in visual arts, architecture and design from 1926 to 1971.- Directors :* 1879–1906: Friedrich Romberg, engineers* 1906–1910: Gustav Halmhuber, architect and painter...

. Since 1928, he ran his own studio in Cologne

Cologne

Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...

. As an artist, he primarily produced abstract paintings.

During the Second World War he was obliged to work as a Wehrmacht cartographer.

Since 1946 he ran a studio at Bornheim

Bornheim

Bornheim is a town in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the West bank of the Rhine, approx. 10 km north-west of Bonn, 20 km south of Cologne....

 near Bonn. In 1947 Fassbender founded at Schloss Alfter

Alfter

Alfter is a municipality in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approx. 6 km west of Bonn.-Location:The community of Alfter lies west of former capital of Bonn, on the southern Ridge of the "Vorgebirge"...

 near Bornheim

Bornheim

Bornheim is a town in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the West bank of the Rhine, approx. 10 km north-west of Bonn, 20 km south of Cologne....

, together with Hann Trier, Hubert Berke and some other artists and men of letters, the "Donnerstagsgesellschaft" in order to revive, and promote, modern painting in the Rhineland

Rhineland

Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....

.

In 1951 he organized an exhibition for his friend, Max Ernst

Max Ernst

Max Ernst was a German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was one of the primary pioneers of the Dada movement and Surrealism.-Early life:...

. In 1955, 1959 and 1964, Fassbender participated at the documenta

Documenta

documenta is an exhibition of modern and contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. It was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau which took place in Kassel at that time...

s I-III in Kassel

Kassel

Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...

.

In 1958 the artist was appointed professor of painting and drawing at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf

Kunstakademie Düsseldorf

The Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, formerly Staatliche Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, is the Arts Academy of the city of Düsseldorf. It is well known for having produced many famous artists, such as Joseph Beuys, Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, Thomas Demand, and Andreas Gursky...

, where he retired in 1968.

Fassbender also designed many placards and book jackets.

Awards

• 1929 Villa Romana prize
  Villa Romana prize
  The Villa Romana Prize, which has been awarded since 1905, is the oldest German art prize.The Villa Romana was acquired in 1905 by Max Klinger for 60,000 gold liras....
  
  
• 1955 Großer Kunstpreis der Stadt Köln
• 1965 Preis für Graphik der Biennale von Venedig
• 1964 Großes Verdienstkreuz der Bundesrepublik Deutschland

Works

• "Vihaminazhera" and untitled wall-paintings at the Beethovenhalle
  Beethovenhalle
  The Beethovenhalle is a concert hall in Bonn. It is the third hall in that city to bear the name of Bonn-born composer Ludwig van Beethoven.- History :...
  
   in Bonn
  Bonn
  Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
  
  
• "Coincidentia oppositorum" - wall-paintings in the entrance hall of the Gesamtschule Bonn-Bad Godesberg
  Bad Godesberg
  Bad Godesberg is a municipal district of Bonn, southern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From 1949 till 1990 , the majority of foreign embassies to Germany were located in Bad Godesberg...
  
  
• Tapestries for the Staatskanzlei Düsseldorf
  Düsseldorf
  Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
  
   and the city hall of Cologne
  Cologne
  Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
  
  
• Design for the paving of the WDR building in Cologne

External links

• Artist website
• "Joseph Fassbender", Artnet

"Joseph Fassbender", Deutsche Wikipedia