George Kenner
A German artist who secretly documented the surreal and somber reality of civilian internment during WWI through over 100 hidden artworks.
1888–1971 (age 83)·German artist·Birthday: November 1·The Lost Generation
Biography
George Kenner's life took a dramatic turn with the outbreak of the First World War. A German national living in Britain, he was swept up and interned as a civilian prisoner, first in England and later on the Isle of Man. Confined for years, Kenner turned his confinement into a clandestine act of witness. Using whatever materials he could find, he produced a remarkable visual diary of camp life—over 110 paintings and drawings. His work captures not just the bleakness and boredom, but also the peculiar social microcosm that developed behind barbed wire, from theatrical performances to moments of quiet despair. These works, preserved and later exhibited, offer a rare and deeply human perspective on a forgotten chapter of wartime history, seen through the eyes of the 'enemy' within.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
George was born in 1888, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When George Was Born
The biggest hits of 1888
George's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1888Born
President: Grover Cleveland
1893Started school
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
1901Became a teenager
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1904Could drive
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1906Could vote
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1909Turned 21
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1918Turned 30
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1928Turned 40
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1938Turned 50
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1948Turned 60
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1958Turned 70
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 80
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Died at 83
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
Key Achievements
- Created a collection of 110 paintings and drawings while interned during World War I.
- Produced a unique visual record of civilian internment camps in Britain and the Isle of Man.
- His artwork serves as a primary historical document of everyday life behind barbed wire.
Did You Know?
He was interned for nearly the entire duration of World War I, from 1914 to 1919.
Many of his works were small-scale, created secretly and on scarce materials.
His full collection was rediscovered and cataloged decades after his death.
“My sketchbook is my witness; it holds the faces of this forgotten camp.”
