Hans Purrmann

* 1880, Speyer 1966, Basel

Biography

* 1880, Speyer, 1966, Basel

Purrmann was apprenticed as a decorator in his father‘s business, while studying at the same time, at art college in Karlsruhe. From 1897 he began his studies at the Fine Art Academy in Munich. In 1905 he went to Paris, where he met Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954). With the encouragement of Hans Purrmann and Sarah Stein, the ‚Académie Matisse‘ was opened in 1908. Amongst the students was Mathilde Vollmoeller (1876 – 1943), who would later become Purrmann‘s wife. In 1916 the artist moved to Berlin, where he took part in exhibitions of the Freien Sezession. His first major exhibition took place in the rooms of the Berlin art dealer Paul Cassirer. Hans Purrmann became a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts in 1919. In 1935 the artist settled in Florence, where he was active in the artist foundation the Villa Romana. Meanwhile, in Germany his work had been labelled as ‚Degenerate Art‘, Following the fall of Mussolini, he fled Italy to Switzerland. From 1950 Hans Purrmann was recognized by numerous awards and prizes for his work as an artist.

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