Dietmar Damerau facts for kids
Dietmar Damerau (born September 22, 1935 – died October 22, 2011) was a German artist. He spent most of his life living and creating art in Greece.
His Early Life and Travels
Dietmar was born in a town called Preußisch Holland in East Prussia in 1935. When he was 10 years old, on January 22, 1945, his family had to leave their home. They escaped in an old army vehicle with three other families. They were trying to get away from the war and the bombings happening in places like Berlin.
They traveled through many European cities that had been bombed. These included Hamburg, Dresden, Prague, Styria, Salzburg, and Coburg. Eventually, they settled in Munich.
After World War II ended, Dietmar learned a skill called typesetting. This is how people used to arrange letters and words for printing. He learned this in Passau at a newspaper company. There, he met a teacher and friend named Otto Sammer. They worked together on many projects over the years.
Dietmar stayed interested in art. He continued his studies at an art school in Munich that focused on visual design. However, he had to stop his studies because of a bad accident in Seville, Spain. He spent two years recovering in the hospital there.
Life in Greece
In the early 1960s, Dietmar moved to the beautiful island of Crete in Greece. He made his home there and lived for many years. In 1967, he got married, and his son was born two years later.
Later, a military government in Greece forced him to leave. He moved to Sardinia, another island. After the military government ended, he returned to Crete.
However, Crete started to get a lot of tourists and new buildings. This made him want to move again. So, he moved to a small village called Lafkos. This village is on a mountain called Pelion. There, he built a house and a studio. He started painting and making sculptures again.
Dietmar spent many years living in Lafkos]. He also lived in different parts of Upper Bavaria in Germany and in Denmark. He lived a quiet but very artistic life. He created a huge amount of artwork. Dietmar passed away at a hospital in Volos when he was 76 years old, on October 22, 2011.
His Art and Work
Dietmar Damerau created art using many different methods. These included drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture. He used a wide variety of materials in his art. He used regular art supplies like oil paint and a type of watercolor called gouache. But he also used anything else he could find! This included things like driftwood, trash, lipstick, and even coffee grinds.
His artwork was shown in many cities across Europe. These included Copenhagen, Athens, Berlin, and Munich. He was also a member of an art group since 1976.
One of his biggest artworks is a painting that covers a huge ceiling. It's 106 square meters big! This painting is in a private home in Lafkos]. It took him three years to finish this amazing piece.
