“Karl Hagedorn was born in Berlin on 11 September 1889, and brought up in Freiburg im Breisgau. He went to Manchester in 1905 to train in textile production and also studied art under Adolph Valette at the local school of art.” (1)
“He attended Manchester School of Technology, Manchester School of Art, the Slade School of Fine Art and in Paris 1912-13, where he studied with Maurice Denis and was influenced by the Cubist and Futurist movements. His work was first exhibited with the Society of Modern Painters in Manchester, 1913-16.” (2)
“Originally a controversial modernist, Hagedorn was one of the most colourful and original figures on the Manchester art scene in the early decades of the twentieth century. This [Shire Oaks Farm, Chapel en le Frith, Derbyshire 1923] is a rare early work and shows Hagedorn at his most graphic and original. In doing so he anticipates the style of some of the greatest British inter-war landscape painters, including many of his near contemporaries, such as Ethelbert White and Paul Nash.” (3)
“On his return to England, he made a consciously pioneering attempt to introduce Modernism into Manchester through his work as both painter and designer. He became a British subject (1914) and served as a Lance-corporal in the Middlesex regiment during the First World War (1916-19). In the early nineteen-twenties, he worked in a distinctive geometric manner which applied Cubist draughtsmanship to the tradition of the English landscape watercolour. However, during holidays in France and Italy, he began to relax the degree of abstraction and emphasise instead the element of close observation. Following his move to London in 1927, he befriended Randolph Schwabe, who encouraged him in this direction.” (1)
“He exhibited widely in Paris and was a member of the Salon d'Automne.In London he showed with the Allied Artists'Association, the Fine Art Society, New English Art Club, Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours and was honorary treasurer of the Royal Society of British Artists. He produced work for the Empire Marketing Board, Shell and the Radio Times. He also taught part-time at Epsom School of Art. He lived in Lower Feltham, Middlesex and in London. The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, held the exhibition: First Modernist: Karl Hagedorn 1889-1969, in 1994 and the following year at Chris Beetle Ltd. His work is also in the Manchester City Art Gallery and theV&A Museum.” (2)
Hagedorn died in 1969.
Reference:
1. Chris Beetles Gallery Staff. Karl Hagedorn RBA RI RSMA NEAC NS [internet]. St Jame’s, London: Chris Beetles Gallery [cited 2020 Jan 6]. Available from: https://www.chrisbeetles.com/artists/hagedorn-karl-rba-rsma-neac-ns-1889-1969.html#
2. The British Museum Staff. Karl Hagedorn (Biographical details) [internet]. London: The British Museum [cited 2020 Jan 6]. Available from: https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/term_details.aspx?bioId=122303
3. Liss Llewellyn Staff. Karl Hagedorn (1889-1969) [internet]. Paris, France: Liss Llewellyn [cited 2020 Jan 6]. Available from: https://www.lissllewellyn.com/2746sub0_9.htm