Franz Priking

 Franz Priking (1929-1979) was a German Postwar & Contemporary painter, born on August 7, 1929, in Mülheim (Rhineland). Introduced to art early by his civil servant father, Priking’s formative years during World War II left an indelible mark on him. He discovered Expressionism between 1945 and 1947, a revelation that influenced his lifelong artistic direction. After his father's death in 1947, Priking studied at the Bauhaus in Weimar and the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin under Max Pechstein, a founder of the Die Brücke movement.

In 1948-49, Priking met Bertolt Brecht, who introduced him to Socialist Realism. However, Priking remained passionate about more innovative art forms. A short stay in Paris in 1950 led him to the South of France, where he settled temporarily in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon. In 1952, after meeting Picasso in Vallauris, Priking returned to the Avignon region, dedicating himself to his craft.

Priking's first major solo exhibition was held at Galerie Motte in Geneva in 1955, followed by numerous exhibitions across Paris, London, Geneva, Rome, Brussels, Strasbourg, Aix-en-Provence, Menton, Tokyo, Sao Paulo, and other cities. He won the Young Painting Prize in Paris in 1958 and was elected a member of the International Institute of Arts and Letters of Geneva in 1961.

Throughout the 1960s, Priking moved to Oppède in the Lubéron. He won the Prize of the Mediterranean Union of Modern Art and the Léonard de Vinci Prize in 1972. Priking died under mysterious circumstances in 1979 at the age of fifty. His works are held in major museums and public collections in France, Italy, and numerous institutions in the United States.

Priking's artworks have been auctioned multiple times, with a record price of 7,303 USD, for "Vue de village" sold at Aguttes, Neuilly, in 2011.