Manfred Feiler (22 August 1925 – 15 March 2020) was a German painter and illustrator.

Biography

Starting in 1939, Feiler studied at the Staatliche Kunstschule für Textilindustrie Plauen. He was granted a scholarship by the German regime, which allowed him to continue his studies. He was heavily influenced by his instructors, Kurt Geipel and Walther Löbering. Later that year, Feiler was sent to the Eastern Front, but he was struck by shrapnel in 1943, causing him to become paraplegic and leave the military service. In 1948, Feiler unveiled his first exhibitions at the Fritz Geyer Gallery and the Luther House in

Plauen Plauen (; Czech language, Czech: ''Plavno'') is, with around 65,000 inhabitants, the fifth-largest city of Saxony, Germany after Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz and Zwickau, the second-largest city of the Vogtland after Gera, as well as the larges ...

. During this time, he worked as an advertiser for the

Handelsorganisation The Handelsorganisation (“Trading Organisation”, or HO) was a national retail business owned by the central administration of the Soviet Zone of occupation in Germany and from 1949 on by the state of the German Democratic Republic. It was cre ...

. Additionally, he worked as a designer for textile companies in the Plauen area. However, his employment was terminated after he refused to paint pictures of political figures. In 1952, Feiler completely devoted himself to being an independent artist. In 1961, Feiler exhibited abstract art paintings at the Fritz Geyer Gallery. The exhibition was strongly criticized by the press, and Feiler was portrayed as a "pro-Western dauber." He was accused of desecrating the culture of

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

, and was banned from publicly displaying his art. He then turned to

Otto Dix Wilhelm Heinrich Otto Dix (; 2 December 1891 – 25 July 1969) was a German painter and printmaker, noted for his ruthless and harshly realistic depictions of German society during the Weimar Republic and the brutality of war. Along with Geor ...

, another prominent painter who advocated for Feiler to return to painting. However, the regime did not budge, and Feiler resigned to continue his work in private. Nevertheless, he became one of the most important European painters of the 20th century. After the fall of the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...

, Feiler began displaying his works in public again. His first exhibition was in

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...

. Free from political pressure, he opened a new chapter in his art career. In 1998, he met the American artist Paul DeBruyne in

Naples, Florida Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the historical city (i.e. in the immediate vicinity of downtown Naples) was 19,115. Naples is a principal city of the Naples-Marco Island, Flori ...

. In 2011, the Freedom Museum Washington purchased two of Feiler's paintings for its own collection. Manfred Feiler died on 15 March 2020 at the age of 94.

Awards

*Entry in the City of Oelsnitz Guest Book (2000) *Medal of the City of Plauen (2001) *Vogtland Honor Award (2010) *Honorary Citizen of the City of Plauen (2011) *

Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony The Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony (german: Sächsischer Verdienstorden) is a civil order of merit, and the highest award of the German state of Saxony. First presented in 1997, it is awarded by the Minister-President of Saxony. The ...

(2012)

References

1925 births 2020 deaths German illustrators Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony German Army personnel of World War II People with paraplegia {{Germany-painter-stub