One of Germany’s greatest artists is born in Nuremberg
The third of 18 children, Albrecht Dürer was born in Nuremberg on 21 May 1471. Although it was intended that he was to follow in his father’s footsteps and be trained as a goldsmith, he showed an unusual artistic talent and he drew an impressive self-portrait at the age of 13. His parents decided therefore to apprentice him to a painter. Dürer’s talent ensured that he soon developed a reputation as a versatile and innovative artist.
The quality and wide range of his art – including paintings, drawings, woodcuts and engravings – mean that Dürer is considered as the most significant German artist of the Renaissance. His self-portraits and other works such as “Praying Hands”, “Field Hare” and “Knight, Death and the Devil”, are world-famous. Dürer maintained a close friendship with a number of famous humanists and also excelled as a mathematician and art theorist. He died in Nuremberg in 1528.
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