Artists

Fritz Krampe was a renowned wildlife artist who was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1913. Since childhood, he had a great interest in animals and would often draw and sketch them at the Berlin Zoo. Krampe attended the Berlin Academy of Arts between 1931 and 1933, the Munich Academy in 1933, and the Prussian Academy of Art in Berlin from 1935 to 1939. After serving in the military during World War II, Krampe immigrated to southern Africa in 1950. He briefly lived in Cape Town before settling in Windhoek, Namibia (then South West Africa). He continued to travel extensively throughout Africa and also visited the Middle East and Asia. Krampe was an adventurer and animal lover until his untimely death when he was killed by an elephant in India in 1966.

Krampe was a versatile artist who worked in various mediums, including oil, watercolour, pastel, ink, charcoal, gouache, and lithography. He also created illustrations for books and was commissioned to paint murals. His artwork can be found in many public art collections such as the Johannesburg Art Gallery, William Humphreys Gallery in Kimberley, Hester Rupert Museum in Graaff-Reinet, Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town, Pretoria Art Museum, and the Association of Arts in Windhoek.