Fritz Busse original ink and watercolor illustrations

Fritz Busse was born in Luxembourg on April 2, 1903. In 1908, he and his parents moved to Hamberg where he grew up and studied at the Land Academy of Arts. From 1925-1926 he lived in Munich where he studied under Hans Hofmann. Busse later traveled throughout Europe to continue studying works by German romanticists and French impressionists. In 1930, Busse moved to Stuttgart and entered the world of graphic and book art, working for many German publishers.

By the 1950s, published sketchbooks such as Stuttgarter Skizzen (Stuttgart Sketches) and Geist und Glanz Oberschwäbischer Bibliotheken (The Spirit and Glory of Upper Suabian Libraries) earned Busse international recognition. Dr. Basil J. Vlavianos, the Greek American publisher of the National Herald and owner of Arts, Inc., hired Busse to make a series of sketchbooks of various American Cities. His book “San Francisco, City at the Golden Gate” was chosen as one of the “Fifty Best Books of the Year” by the New York Graphic Society.

Busse later created the design for the 4 cent Lincoln Commemorative Stamp, as well as covers and illustrations for various publishers and organizations such as Readers Digest, R.H. Stearns Company, and UNICEF.