Herbert W. Franke

Herbert W. Franke was one of the first people to make art with computers often referring to himself as the dinosaur of computer art. In the mid-1950s. He began his generative art explorations in the analog space, using an analog computer with an oscilloscope as output device and a camera to generate patterns of continuous lines. Franke continued his practice in the digital space in the 1960s and published the first comprehensive history of computer art in 1971. His work has been exhibited and collected by institutions worldwide such as the V&A, ZKM Karlsruhe, Centre Pompidou, Spalter Digital and König Galerie. Alongside Franke’s influential contributions to computer art, the philosopher and physicist also had a careers in science fiction writing, speleology and curation. He was also the co-founder of Ars Electronica, a leading digital art institution whose annual events and awards have spurred the generative art space significantly.