Happy Birthday Hans Heysen

Hans Heysen was born in Hamburg Germany on Tuesday 8th October and so this year marks 142 years since his birth

Hans Heysen, born in Hamburg, Germany in 1877, migrated to Adelaide in 1884 with his family. Hans bought his first paint set when he was 14, and later began formal art lessons with James Ashton. He began exhibiting regularly in Adelaide. Robert Barr Smith paid Hans Heysen’s fees to study at the Gallery’s School of Design. In late 1899 four prominent Adelaide citizens provided £400 to finance Heysen’s studies in Europe.