Who is konrad kujau

He was once a member of a Communist youth organization but immigrated to what was then West Germany in He found work as a window washer and waiter before embarking on a career as a dealer in Nazi artifacts. After his release from prison, Kujau maintained a high profile, accepting commissions to paint pictures in the style of the great masters. His last show, on the Spanish island of Majorca, was a mix of originals and works inspired by Monet and Klimt.

All Sections. In , after several arrests and two short jail terms for theft, Kujau met and settled down with Edith Lieblang. They opened a bar, but the next year he was arrested for forging luncheon vouchers under the name "Peter Fischer" and spent five days in prison. Kujau and Leibling then started an office cleaning business which eventually prospered. Incidentally, a "Dr. Fischer" was originally named as the source of the Hitler Diaries.

In the early s, Kujau began to illegally import Nazi militaria from East Germany. In order to increase their value, Kujau began to forge documents to give them false provenance. Kujau became more ambitious as he realised the potential market for Nazi memorabilia. To an old pistol he attached a label claiming that it was the gun with which Hitler committed suicide. He was aided by the fact that most collectors of Nazi items were highly secretive, since the trading of these items is illegal under German law.

Kujau's early life was of unremitting poverty and his mother was obliged to send her children into orphanages for periods of time.

Konrad did well at school, but was obliged to leave at 16 and was apprenticed to a locksmith. After a year he quit and took a succession of casual jobs. Kujau left East Germany and fled to West Berlin to stay with his uncle.

Kujau eventually settled in Stuttgart where he drifted into a life of casual work and petty crime. In , after several arrests and two short jail terms for theft, Kujau met and settled down with Edith Lieblang.

They opened a bar, but the next year he was arrested for forging luncheon vouchers under the name "Peter Fischer" and spent five days in prison. Kujau and Leibling then started an office cleaning business which eventually prospered. When he fell ill, he opened another gallery in Majorca to fund his treatment.

Germans on holiday would seek him out and persuade him to demonstrate his skills. He was busy forging away - for demonstration purposes only - almost up until his death. Please update your payment details to keep enjoying your Irish Times subscription.

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