Frans Krajcberg

Frans Krajcberg (Kozienice, Poland, 1921) is a sculptor, painter, engraver, and photographer who studied engineering and arts at the University of Leningrad. During World War II (1939-1945), he lost his entire family in a concentration camp. He moved to Germany, enrolling at the Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart, where he studied under Willi Baumeister (1889-1955). He arrived in Brazil in 1948.

In 1951, he participated in the 1st São Paulo International Biennial with two paintings. He lived briefly in Paraná, isolating himself in the forest to paint. In 1956, he moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he shared a studio with sculptor Franz Weissmann (1911-2005). He became a Brazilian citizen the following year. From 1958, he alternated between living in Rio de Janeiro, Paris, and Ibiza.

Since 1972, he has resided in Nova Viçosa, on the southern coast of Bahia. He expanded his work with sculpture, which he began in Minas Gerais, using trunks and roots on which he performs interventions. He travels frequently to the Amazon and Mato Grosso to photograph deforestation and burns, revealing dramatic images. From these trips, he returns with calcined roots and trunks used in his sculptures.

In the 1980s, he began the "African" series, using roots, vines, and palm stems combined with mineral pigments. His research and use of elements from nature, especially the Amazon forest, and his advocacy for the environment, characterize his entire body of work. The Frans Krajcberg Institute in Curitiba was inaugurated in 2003, receiving the donation of more than a hundred works by the artist.

Sources:
Photo: http://www.aloalobahia.com/notas/frans-krajcberg-nao-morreu-esta-em-paris
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