Alf Bayrle

After his military service and participation in the First World War, he studied from 1918 to 1922 at the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart at the classes of Adolf Hölzel, Robert Poetzelberger, Gottfried Graf, Arnold Waldschmidt; and at the School of Applied Arts in classes of Heinrich and Friedrich Schneidler.

There he studied at Franz von Stuck at the Academy, Hans Hofmann at the School of Fine Arts and took additional lessons from Heinrich Wölfflin at the University.

In 1926 he moved to Paris and worked there as a painter, at the same time he also studied at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière (at Othon Friesz and André Lhote).

His friends in Paris at that time included Colette, André Derain, Rene Jurdain, Paul Poiret, Maurice Ravel.

Bayrle followed the invitation of Rene Jurdain to share his studio space, from 1928 to 1934, however, he spent in summertime months in St. Tropez at Madame Aude.

In Paris he was in contact with Giorgio de Chirico, Jean Cocteau, Le Corbusier, Raoul Dufy, Aristide Maillol, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso.

In the early postwar period, next to his artistic activity he made scenes and decorations, and taught as an art teacher at the Gutenberg school.

When the German author Adam Seide published his novel "Rebecca" in 1987 he dedicated it in memory of the painter Alf Bayrle.

One single known work "Vom Bau des Atlantikwalls" from 1940 ("Building a Bunker, Atlantic Wall" in the Portland Art Museum[1]) shows a scene from his military service.