Konrad Kujau

Konrad Paul Kujau (* June 27, 1938 in Lobau; † 12 September 2000 in Stuttgart ) was a German painter, art forger and performance artist. He was known in 1983 as a forger of the Hitler diaries, which he had sold for 9.3 million DM to the star.

Youth

When air raid on Dresden in February 1945, the family Kujau was torn apart. Then Konrad Kujau spent his childhood and youth in an orphanage until the family members came together again in 1951.

Kujau graduated from the elementary and high school in his hometown. There he was drawing already active during school time and published inter alia cartoons in various publications such as the Saxon newspaper, Junge Welt, the magazine Frösi or Eulenspiegel. Due to brisk sales of autograph cards with deceptively counterfeit signatures former East German politician, he improved on his allowance.

In the period after graduation (1956 ) until July 1957, he was enrolled at the Art Academy in Dresden. After that he went from the GDR to West Berlin. In 1958 he began studies at the Art Academy in Stuttgart. During this time Kujau learned from painters and restorers, where he went to hand. In 1961 he abandoned his studies and worked himself as an artist. Together with his then partner, Edith Lieblang he lived in Bietigheim -Bissingen.

Hitler diaries

About a group of self-confessed former Nazis came Kujau in touch with the Hamburg reporter Gerd Heidemann. This contact succeeded Kujau, the news magazine Stern in 1983 62 volumes of so-called Hitler Diaries for 9.3 million DM for sale until the discovery of forgery on May 5. The forgeries were content and appearance so skillfully prepared that reputable experts such as the British historian Hugh Trevor - Roper to let weeks fooled. Only a chemical analysis paper of the Federal Archives in Koblenz brought the forgery to light.

The trial on the fake diaries before the Hamburg District Court Kujau was convicted for fraud in July 1985 to four years and six months in prison, but was released after three years because of its severe laryngeal cancer disease.

Late phase

After his prison sentence Kujau used his gained popularity. So he went after the Barschel affair to be a forgery expert at mirror TV. He also opened his own studio, where he officially sold "original Kujau counterfeiting ". Increased its notoriety through the film version of the story about the fake Hitler diaries in the film Schtonk! . Furthermore, Konrad Kujau published in 1995 along with the Rock & Roll Junkies on Rude Boy Records an album with the title rebel art. In these songs he grappled with the forgery scandal.

In 1992, Konrad Kujau again headlines. On January 4, the Bild newspaper reported in big letters "The new coup of counterfeiters - Kujau paints Telefonkärtle for the Postmaster General ." Under this title, reported a local editor of the Stuttgart image of a meeting between Kujau and the then Federal Minister of Posts Christian Schwarz-Schilling during the Consumer Electronics Fair in Berlin in 1991. In a cartoon Kujau have the minister painted as a telephone handset, the chancellor Helmut Kohl pressed to his ear. This, according to Bild newspaper, have so much that now the gratitude Kujaus painting forgeries would issue on real phone cards of the German Federal Post Schwarz-Schilling.

1994 candidate Kujau for motorists Party for the Bundestag. In 1996, he stood in Stuttgart as mayor candidate for election. On it accounted for 901 votes. Until shortly before his death in 2000 Kujau mainly worked as a painter in his studio, where he previously also held exhibitions in the Upper Franconian Pegnitz.

Konrad Kujau died in September 2000 and was buried in the Protestant cemetery of his native city of Lobau in the district of Görlitz.

Works

The works Kujaus bear references to various eras and styles. His paintings were so well known that in 2006, the Internet auction site eBay turned up a flood of Kujau counterfeiting. The paintings are, according to prosecutors have achieved revenues of up to 3,500 euro and causing a total loss of more than 550,000 euros.

Trivia

In April 2013, it was announced that a collector from Bietigheim- Bissingen plans to open a museum with works Kujaus.

There were paintings and offered that were allegedly forged by Kujau, but from other sources.