(1892–1958) An Austrian-American painter, graphic artist and sculptor who was a leading figure on the Prague German community’s art scene between the world wars as well as a deeply cosmopolitan artist. Although born in Vienna, Kopf spent most of his childhood in Prague, where from 1911 to 1914 he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts under Franz Thiele, Vlaho Bukovac and Karl Krattner. His studies were interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War, but after the war he continued his education under Otto Gussmann at the Dresden Academy. Kopf’s early work was influenced by Expressionism and Symbolism, but his artistic language was enriched by his numerous trips abroad – in Europe, the Soviet Union, Polynesia and the United States – which influenced his use of colour and the thematic range of his paintings. Kopf played a very active role in Prague’s artistic life as a co-founder of three groupings – Die Pilger, Junge Kunst and the Prager Secession – which shaped the artistic evolution of German-speaking modernists in Czechoslovakia. After the Nazi invasion he fled into exile. He was interned in France and North Africa, and in 1941 he emigrated to the United States, where he continued his artistic career and exhibited in New York galleries. Kopf died in the USA in 1958. Today, his work is appreciated as a synthesis of Central European modernism and international artistic influences.