Early Life and Education
Adler was born on April 29, 1878, in Laupheim, Germany. His parents, Karoline Frieda Sommer and Isidor Adler, owned a pastry store. Today, his birthplace is home to Café Hermes, designed in the late Italian Renaissance Art Nouveau style.
From 1894 to 1898, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. In 1902, Adler decided to further his education at the Debschitz School, a new institution for applied and fine arts, established by Wilhelm von Debschitz and the sculptor Hermann Obrist. By 1903, he was already teaching stucco technology there.
Career and Artistic Contributions
Between 1907 and 1933, Adler taught at the Hamburg School for Applied Art, taking a break to serve in the military during World War I.
As Nazism rose, Adler grew more connected to the Jewish faith, incorporating Jewish symbols and themes into his work. In 1914, he designed the interior of a Jewish place of worship for the Cologne Werkbund exhibition and made two stained glass windows for a synagogue in his hometown.
After serving in World War I from 1914 to 1918, Adler’s style changed significantly, moving away from Art Nouveau. He then directed master classes in Nuremberg and created applied art for over fifty clients. Later, he focused on batik and fabric printing and founded the Adler Textile Printing Company in Hamburg.
In the 1920s, he worked with metalworkers O.G.F. Schmitt in Nuremberg. He developed industrial batik techniques for the Adler Textile Company in Hamburg (Ateha), transitioning from Jugendstil to more abstract floral and technological designs.
Final Years and Legacy
Sadly, Adler’s life came to a tragic end in Auschwitz.
Sources
Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing.
Wikipedia contributors. (2021, May 10). Friedrich Adler (artist). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:09, May 28, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Friedrich_Adler_(artist)&oldid=1022443933
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