Hans Liska
painter · draftsperson · graphic artist · illustrator
- November 19, 1907 · Vienna
- December 26, 1983 · Scheßlitz
- 76 years
About Hans Liska
Hans Liska, 76, Austrian-born German artist.
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Full Biography
|Hans Liska (19 November 1907 – 26 December 1983) was an Austrian artist, painter, commercial artist and illustrator.
Biography
Liska was born on 19 November 1907 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. He attended economic school and worked as a bureaucrat. A secondary job as a pianist helped him apply to University of Applied Arts Vienna. There he was a student of Berthold Löffler (a friend of Oskar Kokoschka).
Liska then worked as a commercial artist in St. Gallen, Switzerland, and went to the Königliche Kunstgewerbeschule München in Munich as a student of Emil Preetorius and Walter Teutsch.
Encouraged by Ullstein Verlag, Liska went to the Academy of Arts in Berlin on Steinplatz as a student of Ferdinand Spiegel. After World War II started, he was drafted as a soldier and an illustrator of the Wehrmacht Propaganda Troops. His drawings of various battlefields were published in many magazines, even in neutral countries. Two of his sketch books in 1942 (Junkers) and 1944 (Hans Liska) are valuable collectibles today. From 1933 to 1944, he was an illustrator for the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung, particularly for the special issue for the 1936 Summer Olympics, and the propaganda magazine Signal. He made a drawing of the "greatest ateliers in the world", a gigantic hall, which was to be erected in Baldham near Munich by Josef Thorak after a decision by Albert Speer. This was supposed to be used for mighty group performances on the rally ground in Nuremberg. The building looks like a living model (for example a horse), then a sound form, then a four-metre-tall model and finally a colossal horse statue. A second image shows the transport of ready-made horse sculptures to railway tracks for delivery to the deployment site.
After the end of the war, Liska remained in Germany. In 1945 his Skizzenbuch aus dem Kriege, originally published in 1944 by Buhrbanck in Berlin in 1944, and all of its translations, was placed on the "proscription list of rejected literature" as number 17549.
In 1948 Liska married Elisabeth (née Schmid, born 1922) in Scheßlitz near Bamberg. The couple had two daughters, Angelika and Gabriele.
In Scheßlitz, Liska started drawing for the magazines Quick and Hörzu. He worked in advertising for years, especially for the automobile company Daimler-Benz, but also for the Colognian companies Ford and Mühlens (4711). His other employers included Galeria Kaufhof, Degussa, Märklin, Quelle, the paint company Hoechst, the Lederer Bierkontor brewery, the Sekt producer Henkell & Co. Sektkellerei and the smoke beer brewery Schlenkerla (Bamberg). His city and country books with sketches of Salzburg, Bamberg, Cologne, Kulmbach and Franconia were published starting from 1960.
The porcelain company Kaiser in Bad Staffelstein published numerous pitchers, porringers and most importantly plates bearing over 200 of Liska's illustrations of the cities of Aachen, Berlin, Danzig, Königsberg, Munich, Wrocław and others.
Liska's love of Mozart's opera brought him in connection with the picture series Zauber der Bühne, published in 1982. In his illustrated autobiography Malerisches Kulmbach (1985), Liska admitted to honouring the works of Max Ernst, Oskar Kokoscha and Pablo Picasso.
Hans Liska died in Wertheim am Main on 26 December 1983, shortly after a stroke.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Liska
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- November 3, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Hans Liska's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city was Hans Liska born?
- A.Salzburg
- B.Bamberg
- C.Munich
- D.Viennacorrect
Hans Liska was born on 19 November 1907 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary.
Source: Biography section
2.What job did Hans Liska perform to help him apply to the University of Applied Arts Vienna?
- A.Pianistcorrect
- B.Commercial artist
- C.Soldier
- D.Bureaucrat
A secondary job as a pianist helped Hans Liska apply to the University of Applied Arts Vienna.
Source: Biography section
3.Who was Hans Liska's teacher at the Academy of Arts in Berlin?
- A.Berthold Löffler
- B.Ferdinand Spiegelcorrect
- C.Emil Preetorius
- D.Walter Teutsch
Encouraged by Ullstein Verlag, Hans Liska went to the Academy of Arts in Berlin as a student of Ferdinand Spiegel.
Source: Biography section
4.Which propaganda magazine featured illustrations by Hans Liska between 1933 and 1944?
- A.Junkers
- B.Buhrbanck
- C.Signalcorrect
- D.Quick
From 1933 to 1944, Hans Liska was an illustrator for the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung and the propaganda magazine Signal.
Source: Biography section
5.In what year did Hans Liska marry Elisabeth (née Schmid)?
- A.1945
- B.1948correct
- C.1960
- D.1982
In 1948, Hans Liska married Elisabeth in Scheßlitz near Bamberg.
Source: Biography section
6.What was the name of the company for which Hans Liska worked extensively in advertising?
- A.Quelle
- B.Daimler-Benzcorrect
- C.Hoechst
- D.Märklin
Hans Liska worked in advertising for years, especially for the automobile company Daimler-Benz.
Source: Biography section
7.What kind of items were produced by the company Kaiser, featuring illustrations by Hans Liska?
- A.Railway train models
- B.Porcelain pitchers and platescorrect
- C.Newspaper magazines
- D.Smoke beer bottles
The porcelain company Kaiser published pitchers, porringers, and plates bearing over 200 of Hans Liska's illustrations.
Source: Biography section
8.What was the date of death for Hans Liska?
- A.26 December 1945
- B.19 November 1985
- C.19 November 1907
- D.26 December 1983correct
Hans Liska died in Wertheim am Main on 26 December 1983.
Source: Biography section
9.Who was one of the artists Hans Liska admired in his illustrated autobiography?
- A.Berthold Löffler
- B.Albert Speer
- C.Max Ernstcorrect
- D.Ferdinand Spiegel
In his illustrated autobiography, Hans Liska admitted to honouring the works of Max Ernst, Oskar Kokoscha and Pablo Picasso.
Source: Biography section
10.Where did Hans Liska work as a commercial artist after leaving Vienna?
- A.Munich
- B.Bamberg
- C.St. Gallencorrect
- D.Berlin
Hans Liska worked as a commercial artist in St. Gallen, Switzerland, before moving to Munich.
Source: Biography section
11.What happened to Hans Liska's Skizzenbuch aus dem Kriege in 1945?
- A.It was placed on a proscription list of rejected literaturecorrect
- B.It was awarded a prize by the city of Nuremberg
- C.It was destroyed in a fire in Berlin
- D.It was published by the Wehrmacht Propaganda Troops
In 1945, the Skizzenbuch aus dem Kriege was placed on the proscription list of rejected literature as number 17549.
Source: Biography section
12.What was the name of the project that Hans Liska was involved in regarding the 'greatest ateliers in the world'?
- A.An advertising campaign for the Ford company
- B.A series of paintings for the Salzburg festival
- C.A set of illustrations for the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung
- D.A gigantic hall to be erected in Baldhamcorrect
Hans Liska made a drawing of the gigantic hall to be erected in Baldham near Munich by Josef Thorak.
Source: Biography section
13.How many daughters did Hans Liska have with his wife Elisabeth?
- A.One
- B.Three
- C.Twocorrect
- D.Four
Hans Liska and his wife Elisabeth had two daughters, Angelika and Gabriele.
Source: Biography section
14.Which brewery in Bamberg employed Hans Liska for advertising?
- A.Schlenkerlacorrect
- B.Henkell & Co.
- C.Mühlens
- D.Lederer Bierkontor
Hans Liska's other employers included the smoke beer brewery Schlenkerla in Bamberg.
Source: Biography section
15.In which city did Hans Liska die?
- A.Vienna
- B.Scheßlitz
- C.Wertheim am Maincorrect
- D.Berlin
Hans Liska died in Wertheim am Main on 26 December 1983.
Source: Biography section
16.What was the name of the picture series published in 1982 that showed Hans Liska's interest in Mozart's opera?
- A.Skizzen, Szenen, Situationen
- B.Zauber der Bühnecorrect
- C.Der Stern ihrer Sehnsucht
- D.Malerisches Kulmbach
Hans Liska's love of Mozart's opera brought him in connection with the picture series Zauber der Bühne, published in 1982.
Source: Biography section
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