Kurt Wiese


Kurt Wiese was a German-born book illustrator. Wiese wrote and illustrated 20 children's books and illustrated another 300 for other authors.

Biography

Wiese was born in Minden, Germany. He aspired to be an artist but was discouraged by his community.

World War One

Wiese lived and traveled in China for six years, selling merchandise as a young man. At the outbreak of World War I, he was captured by the Japanese, and turned over to the British. He spent five years as a prisoner, most of them in Australia, where his fascination with the animal life inspired him to start sketching again. After his release at the end of the war, Wiese returned to Germany but the economy was so bad that he moved to Brazil.

United States

Wiese began his illustration career in Brazil, and in 1927 moved to the United States. His first critical success was with the illustrations for Felix Salten's Bambi in 1929. In 1930 he married Gertrude Hansen, with whom he lived on a farm in Kingwood Township, New Jersey.He worked with German master printmaker Theodore Cuno of Germantown, PA to create some of his lithographs

Awards

Freddy the Pig

Freddy the Pig was featured in 26 books written by Walter R. Brooks, illustrated by Wiese, and published by Alfred A. Knopf from 1927 to 1958. The first two, titled To and Again and More To and Again – in reference to constituent journeys to and back again from Florida and the North Pole, were illustrated by Adolfo Best Maugard. Reprints of the first two books, titled Freddy Goes to Florida and Freddy Goes to the North Pole, were illustrated by Wiese. They were followed by Freddy the Detective, three more various titles, 19 novels with "Freddy" titles and The Collected Poems of Freddy the Pig. For some time all 25 novels have been issued with "Freddy" titles.

Other

New York City publishers except as noted.