Blauth Hermann (1939 - 2012)

Born in 1939 in Illestrisen, Germany, he studied painting, graphic design and interior decoration, initially at the Ernst Reuter School in Munich (1956) and then at Munich’s Akademie für Bildenden Künste (1961) and the Walter Institut in Hamburg (1962). In 1966 he visits Greece for the first time before settling there permanently. In 1968 he presents his first solo exhibition at the Stenzel Gallery of Hofgarten, Munich, with works that expressed his love for his wife, Sophia, and Greece. His first solo exhibition in Athens is held in 1969 at the Lucifer Gallery. In 1969-1972 he taught at the Stavrakos School, and in 1974-1976 he received a grant from the Ministry of Education to study Greek mythology and the ancient religions. In 1999 he obtained Greek citizenship.
Dominating most of his painting is a geometric vocabulary that underscores the clarity of forms. Having assimilated cubist and surrealist influences, his visual space acquires a peculiar structural makeup as well as a lyrical aspect thanks to the strong presence of colour and light. Typical traits of his work are the alternating images from reality and imagination and the references to contemporary social or environmental problems that reflect his overall sensibility in such matters. In his last works (The future we lost, 2010) he attempts to juxtapose the beauty of nature against the ugliness of the destroyed environment: works with austere geometric forms and vivid colours on the one hand, and realistic paintings in grey and black tones on the other.
Also active in graphic design, he illustrated and edited books, calendars and albums, and created frescoes in the City Hall of Drapetsona, the Children’s Hospital of NE Attica and the Eye Clinic of Munich University.
He had over 55 solo exhibitions and participated in several group shows in Greece and abroad. His last retrospective with oil paintings from the 1970-2009 period was held in 2010 in his native Illertissen at the Heimatsmuseum im Vöhlinschloss. His works can be found in public and private collections in Greece and in many countries abroad.