Friedrich Kracht was born on 9 July 1925 in Bochum. After studying in Dortmund and Weimar, he moved to Dresden in 1951, where he graduated from the HfBK in 1953; following extensive travels (including throughout Europe and Africa), he finally settled in Dresden as an artist in 1960. In Dresden, he was involved in the ‘Kunst am Bau’ production co-operative for visual artists, serving as its chairman from 1986 to 2004.
Here, together with Karl-Heinz Adler, he developed the serial moulded stone system and implemented it in numerous ornamental wall designs in Dresden and elsewhere. His playgrounds and fountains are also particularly noteworthy. At the same time, Friedrich Kracht always continued to work on independent concrete art. From the 1980s onwards, he took part in numerous exhibitions on concrete art, including international ones.
We dedicated our exhibition to this independent artist to mark the centenary of his birth.
At the opening on Friday, 20 June 2025, Dr Theresa Ende, an art historian, spoke.
Welcome address: Annekatrin Klepsch | Councillor for Culture, Science and Tourism of the State Capital of Dresden
Theresa Ende will speak at the opening on Friday, 20 June 2025.
Biographical details
- Born 1925 in Bochum
- 1940-1943 Apprenticeship as a draughtsman with an architect
- 1947-1949 Hans Tombrock art school in Dortmund
- 1950-1951 Academy of Fine Arts in Weimar
- 1954-1958 Study trips to the Balkans, Italy, France and Spain 1956 Visit to Renato Guttuso in his Roman studio in Villa Massimo 1958-1960 Stay in Africa France and Spain
- 1956 Visit to Renato Guttuso in his Roman studio in the Villa Massimo
- 1958-1960 Stay in Africa
- 1960 With Karl-Heinz-Adler joins the cooperative of applied arts »Kunst am Bau«
- from 1965 Development of serial systems for public spaces and architecture
- from 1968 Realisation of these systems in graphic sheets and objects
- 1984 Participation in the exhibition »Form, Form, Colour and Geometry - Hermann Glöckner's Birthday« at the Neue Dresdener Galerie am Altmarkt
- 1990-1998 Study trips to Scandinavia, Spain, Namibia and Morocco
- 1993 First comprehensive solo exhibition at the Galerie am Blauen Wunder
- from 1993 Member of the Deutscher Künstlerbund
- died in Dresden in 2007