Friedrich Schröder Sonnenstern

[1] Schröder-Sonnenstern was born in Tilsit, East Prussia (now Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia), one of thirteen children, all of whom apart from one other died shortly after birth.

[2] He spent time in the army and in a circus before arriving in Berlin in 1919 where he occupied himself with occultism, divination and healing magnetism.

He founded a sect and distributed its income in the form of bread rolls to poor children, earning him the title "Schrippenfürst of Schöneberg".

At the Surrealist exposition in Paris in 1959, he was celebrated as one of the most impressive artists of the 20th century and was recognised by Jean Dubuffet among others.

The difference between genius and schizophrenic has been highlighted by extensive research on this enigmatic person by professional psychologist Alfred Bader.