August Babberger

Babberger was trained as a house painter and applied unsuccessfully for admission to the Art Academy in München. But he also studied in Karlsruhe and even received a scholarship to attend the International Art School at Firenze. Later, he worked primarily as a landscape painter in Switzerland. In 1920 he became a professor at the Art Academy in Karlsruhe and led this institution from 1923-30. His works were mainly influenced by Swiss artists of Art Nouveau and Symbolism, which later changed into an expressionist style with strong simplifications. As an Expressionist, in the Nazi era, he was considered a “degenerate” artist and lost his job. He went to Switzerland, where he died soon after in 1936. Babberger was married to the rear glass painter and poet Anna Maria Tobler (1882-1935).

The identity of Babberger’s work entered in 1928 is unclear: in the German catalog it is called Wettlauf (Footrace), a design for a carpet, which is also shown there. In the international catalog, it is called Printemps (Spring) without reference to the type of work. Since other works have also apparently been exchanged in the meantime, it is questionable whether it is the same work. In 1935 he published a series of woodcuts under the title Großes Jahreszeiten Bilderbuch (Great seasons Picture Book). The coloured woodcuts with verses of his wife were already created in 1909. Possibly Spring is one of these woodcuts. The mosaic designs Ehrung der drei Turnväter (Honoring the Three Fathers of Gymnastics) and Ehrung des Siegers (Honoring the winner) were submitted in 1936, although he had left Germany already.