Theodore Brauner

Early Life and Family

Theodore Brauner was born on March 20, 1914, in Vienna, Austria. His family, of Romanian origin, returned to Romania shortly after his birth and settled in Bucharest in 1918. He was the youngest brother of the Surrealist painter Victor Brauner.

Brauner's father, Hermann Browner, was a wood industrialist with an interest in poetry, hypnotherapy, and osophicism. His mother, Deborah Zetta, was also involved in various pursuits. The family's cultural background had a significant influence on Brauner's artistic development.

Career

At the age of 13, Brauner co-founded the magazine Fiunk with friends. In 1929, he joined the Alge magazine, which focused on Modern and Surrealist art. The magazine was edited by Aureliu Baranga and featured contributions from Paul Paun and Gherasim Luca.

Brauner's passion for photography led him to develop the Solarfix technique in 1934. This innovative method of photograms used direct sunlight and did not require a camera.

Exile and Later Life

In 1942, Brauner fled Romania on a boat with a small group of refugees. After a six-month journey, he arrived in Beirut, where he was arrested by the English authorities. The exact circumstances of his arrest and subsequent life are unclear.

Brauner later worked in France and Israel, but specific details about his activities during this period are not available. He passed away on March 7, 2000.

Note: I've kept the original spellings of "Brauner" and "Baranga" as they appear in the source snippets.