Title

Kempf, Franz.

Author

Australian Prints.

Source

[Not applicable]

Publication date

2010

Type

Biography

Language

English

Country of context

Australia

Full text

Franz Kempf

Born in Melbourne in 1926, Franz Kempf studied at the School of Art, Prahran Technical College, 1942; at Swinburne College of Technology from 1945 to 1946; and at the National Gallery School, Melbourne from 1946 to 1947. Kempf worked with Jessie Traill in Melbourne in 1955 before travelling to the University of Perugia in 1956, to Salzburg to work with Oskar Kokoschka in 1957, and to Israel to study printmaking in 1965. He taught printmaking at the South Australian School of Art from 1962 to1981, travelling to Israel, Europe and England in 1975.

Kempf has been one of the key figures in the modern printmaking movement in Australia. As a printmaker, teacher and as the author of Contemporary Australian Printmakers, Lansdowne, Melbourne, 1976, Kempf’s contribution to Australian printmaking, has been significant.

Kempf was a lecturer at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology from 1960 to 1961; at the South Australian School of Art from 1961- ; Senior Lecturer in Printmaking at the South Australian School of Art from 1973- ; guest lecturer at the Slade School of Art, London, Edingburgh College of Art, 1979, 1981.

Kempf exhibited both paintings and prints in many important exhibitions and worked as a film designer and advertising director. He was president of the Contemporary Art Society, South Australia from 1965 to 1968. He held over 17 solo exhibitions from 1966 to 1995 and several group exhibitions including various print survey shows in Australia and internationally as well as general survey exhibitions.

Kempf won numerous art awards between 1964 and 1991. His work is represented in the National Gallery of Australia; Art Gallery of New South Wales; Art Gallery of South Australia; Art Gallery of Western Australia; Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory; National Gallery of Victoria; Queensland Art Gallery; Queen Victoria Art Gallery and Museum; Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery; Parliament House; Artbank; many regional galleries; tertiary collections in all states; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; public collections, Israel; corporate collections including BHP, Hilton International, Adelaide.

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