Leopold Zahn

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Leopold Zahn (born July 8, 1890 in Vienna , Austria-Hungary , † April 28, 1970 in Baden-Baden ) was an Austrian writer and art historian .

Life and family

Leopold's father Josef Zahn was the owner of a glass factory (Kristall- und Stilluster Zahn) in the 3rd district of Vienna at Salesianergasse 9. The parents Josef and Leopoldine Maria, born Strobl, married on August 16, 1887 in Grein , and on 1889 they had their first child Irene was born. On July 8, 1890, Leopold was born as a second child, Leopoldine Johanna Maria Zahn.

At birth the midwife was not sure of the sex; the child was raised as a girl. At the age of 17, Leopoldine became Leopold, a case of so-called pseudo - hermaphroditism , which caused quite a stir in the press. The name and gender entry were corrected in the baptismal register. Leopold Zahn wrote an autobiographical book about it, which appeared anonymously in 1910 under the title From the diary of a male high school student in Vienna.

On December 31, 1916, he married Ella b. Gear. "In the field "

After the Second World War he moved to Baden-Baden, where he lived until his death on April 28, 1970.

Work as a writer and art historian

He received his doctorate and worked as a writer and art historian. In 1919 he was the editorial director of the magazine "Ararat". Until 1926 he worked as an employee at Burgverlag Adolf Schmieger, but in April 1926 he had to register the compensation with the Vienna Commercial Court due to high levels of debt and insolvency . At this time he founded with Paul Diamond , the "publishing house Dr. Zahn and Dr. Diamant ”, which only existed for a short time. In 1946, together with Woldemar Klein, he founded the magazine “ Das Arbeiter ”, which developed into an important publication on modern art in West Germany. In 1955 he was a co-founder of the " Society of Friends of Young Art ".

From an early age, Leopold Zahn was active as a writer and later became a prolific art historian with numerous publications. He published the first monograph on Paul Klee as early as 1920 , wrote a book on Vincent van Gogh and several books on the history of modern art in 1946 .

Works (selection)

  • From the diary of a male high school student , Vienna, 1910 (published anonymously).
  • Verse , Munich and Vienna, 1912.
  • Paul Klee. Life / work / spirit . Gustav Kiepenheuer Verlag, Potsdam, 1920 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive )
  • Joseph Eberz , 1920.
  • Moritz von Schwind , 1922.
  • Raffael von Urbino , 1923.
  • The hand drawings of Jacques Callot with special reference to the Petersburg collection , 1923 or 1924.
  • Orbis historicus. Memoirs, Letters and Representations , 1926 (as editor).
  • Caravaggio , 1928 or 1929.
  • with Elisabeth M. Hajos : Berlin architecture of the post-war period . Introduction Edwin Redslob . Berlin: Albertus, 1928
  • Paris buildings , 1930.
  • A woman fights against Napoleon , 1939.
  • In the shadow of Apollo. Anselm Feuerbach and the 19th Century , 1940.
  • A short art history of the 19th century in anecdotes , 1942.
  • Goya , Caprichos , 1942.
  • Vincent van Gogh. A life for art , 1946.
  • Friedrich Nietzsche . A life chronicle , 1950.
  • Christine of Sweden , 1953.
  • French impressionists , 1954.
  • Artists on the Höri on Lake Constance , 1956.
  • Small history of modern art , 1956.
  • Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele , 1958.
  • Love, supreme power of the heart. The life of Madame Staël , 1962.
  • History of Art , 1963.
  • Seurat , 1965.
  • Franz Werfel , 1966.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Leopold Zahn. In: Stadtwiki Karlsruhe. Retrieved January 10, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Adolph Lehmann's general… [1301]. In: wienbibliothek. Retrieved January 10, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Parish registers of Grein parish 1887 and St. Karl Borromäus, 4th district of Vienna, 1889 and 1890
  4. ↑ Discretion: A Silly Thing. In: Lili Elbe Library. January 6, 2020, accessed January 11, 2020 .
  5. ^ Parish registers of Our Lady of the Scots , 1st district of Vienna, 1916.
  6. ↑ Publishing house Dr. Zahn and Dr. Diamond (Vienna-Leipzig). In: Austrian publishing history. Retrieved January 11, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Zahn, Leopold
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian writer and art historian
DATE OF BIRTH July 8, 1890
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH April 28, 1970
Place of death Baden-Baden