Johann Fischer

1919 to 2008, Austria

Born in Kirchberg am Wagram in Lower Austria, Johann Fischer was trained to be a baker. He was enlisted into the army in 1940 and released from American captivity in 1946.

He then worked as a winegrower at his parents’ farm. His hallucinations brought him to the psychiatric clinic in Gugging. From 1982 until his death in 2008, he lived at the House of Artists, where he created art for the first time. Initially, he would paint a figure, such as a person or animal, with a pencil and a few coloured pencils. His drawings became more colourful over time and he later created complex image compositions that he often “inscribed” with imaginative words. He portrayed subjects such as agriculture, life at the countryside and social interactions. He was very disciplined in his work, which he always pursued weekdays between breakfast and lunch. Johann Fischer was communicative, liked to visit the openings of his own exhibitions and would discuss his images with visitors.

His works can be found in numerous collections, such as the Diamond Collection, Austria, and the Dagmar and Manfred Chobot Collection, Austria..

Selected works