Biography of Walter Maurer
Walter Maurer, born in Dachau 1942, is a German artist, painter and graphic designer, as well as a former university art & design teacher and lecturer at the 'Akademie der Bildenden Künste' in Munich. He is an important representative of modern art between Cubism and Expressionism in Germany. Maurer began his career in 1967 and established himself as a successful independent paint designer and founder of the unique art lacquer watercolor technique. He combines a wide variety of colors creating virtuos art works on a different surfaces, implementing the lacquer watercolors on vehicles, planes, and sculptures. His artworks often takes on ethnic themes promoting integration directed against racism, ignorance and violence.
Maurer's art collaborations with Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Frank Stella, A.R. Penck, Alexander Calder, Karl Lagerfeld, César Manrique, Ernst Fuchs, Jeff Koons, Konstantin Grcic, depicting a wide spectrum of his very unique lacque painting technique. Walter Maurer works and lives in Germany.
Further milestones in Walter Maurer's artistic career
Commitment to BMW and cooperations:
Walter Maurer worked with many artists related to BMW and the Art Car series.
Alexander Calder, USA 1975
Frank Stella, USA 1976
Roy Lichtenstein, USA 1978
Andy Warhol, USA 1979
Ernst Fuchs Austria, 1982
César Manrique Spain, 1990
A. R. Penck, Germany 1991
Karl Lagerfeld, Paris 1996
Konstantin Grcic, Germany 2011
Jeff Koons, New York 2011
Teaching commitment:
1984-1994 Head of the Glasurit Design School
1994-2002 Head of the Academy of Art, Design and Painting
1994-1998 University lecturer at 'Akademie der Bildenden Künste' in Munich, one of the most important and oldest art academies in Germany.
Studies and Apprenticeship:
1959, Maurer completed his apprenticeship at the Hans Baier School of Applied Arts as the best in his class and began a career as a design painter and advertising technician.
1965 to 1967 Maurer studied graphic arts at the private school Carl Ludwig Gössl.
1967 Walter Maurer started his own business as a lacquer designer and made his first works.
Maurer holds two craftsman’s master degrees.
Awards:
On 20 March 2008, Walter Maurer was awarded the German Armed Forces Cross of Honour in Gold at a festive ceremony in a small circle. In the laudatory speech by lieutenant General Dieter Naskrent, he paid tribute to Walter Maurer's personal commitment to the German Armed Forces, which had lasted for more than two decades, after Maurer took part in an information exercise for civilian executives in Fürstenfeldbruck in 1985 and this has intensified over the course of time through "many personal contacts". Naskrent also mentioned that Maurer had been artistically involved in the fight against xenophobia, violence and extremism in analogy to the German Armed Forces.
Sports:
1968-1978 Maurer was engaged in dressage riding in the classes L and M. In the 80s Maurer was engaged in motor sports.
1980-1982 he took part in the German Racing Championship with his BMW M1. In the years 1987-1989 he drove his Lotec BMW C2 in the SAT.1 Supercup and the WÜRTH Supercup. In 1989 he drove the long-distance world championship of Group C. In 1995 Maurer acquired his licence to fly a helicopter.