Josef Oberberger

21 December 1905 Etzenricht/Germany – 2 December 1994 Kreuz/Germany

 

Born in Etzenricht, Upper Palatinate/Germany, Josef Oberberger did an apprenticeship as a glass painter in Regensburg from 1921 until 1924. From 1925, he studied under Olaf Gulbransson at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich. It was in those days when Josef Oberberger met artists from the “Simplicissimus” circle. From 1932 until 1935 he was head of the glass painting workshop at the academy. After his study trip to Paris in 1937, he became a teacher for painting and graphic arts at the Academy of Applied Arts (Akademie für angewandte Kunst) in Munich. In 1940, he presented three drawings from the war years in an exhibition at Städtische Galerie, Munich. After the war, Josef Oberberger succeeded Olaf Gulbransson at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich. Until his retirement in 1974, he went on numerous study trips. In the course of his career Josef Oberberger abbreviated his surname to “Obe” and often signed his works with a large “O” reminding of Far Eastern calligraphy.