John Gutmann: Professor of Art

John Gutmann. 1938. Professor of Art. BA (1927) State Academy of Arts and Crafts (Germany); MA (1928) Life Certificate of State Institute of Higher Art Education (Germany); advanced studies at University of Breslau; State Academy of Arts (Germany), National University of Mexico. Known as a “photographer as outsider", Gutmann fled Nazi Germany in 1933, and arrived in San Francisco the following year. Gutmann was instrumental in developing SF State’s Art department, and he founded in 1946 of SF State’s Creative Photography Program, the first in the nation to teach photography as a fine art. Gutmann taught drawing, painting, life drawing, design and other courses. Gutmann founded the Art Movies series at SF State (1949-1963) a long-running series of experimental films. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1977. Retired in 1974. [Material in UA].