Arnulf Rainer was born in 1929 in Baden, Austria. A self-taught artist, he was influenced by surrealism in the early years of his artistic career. He was accepted at both the Vienna College of Applied Arts and the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, but dropped out of both after three days due to objections. In 1950 he co-founded the Hundsgruppe with Ernst Fuchs, Arik Brauer and Jose Mikl. After 1954, his work was dominated by epigraphs, 'blacking', cover illustrations and photographs, a technique that characterizes his personal style. In 1978 he received the 'Austrian Grand State Prize' and represented Austria at the Venice Biennale, as he did in 1980. From 1981 to 1995 he taught painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna (at the rank of professor). In 1981 he received the Max-Beckmann Prize of the City of Frankfurt, and in 1984 a major retrospective of his work was held at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.