Jäger, Stefan

Jäger, Stefan
Banat Fine Artist

Stefan Jäger was born in 1877 to barber Franz Jäger and Magdalena nee Schuller in Tschene, Torontal. At the age of 12 in 1889 he was sent to Wieszners a private boy’s school in Temesvar. Four years later he attended the middle school in Szegedin, (1893-95) where he discovered that he liked drawing best. He died in 1962 Hatzfeld.

Stefan Jäger Art Collection
includes: 2002 Banater Kalendar, 2003 Banater Kalendar & Miscellaneous Paintings

Jäger’s famous
Die Einwanderung der Schwaben
‘The immigration of the Swabians’
click photo to enlarge

Stefan Jäger’s birthplace. At 18 he attended the art school in Budapest, where he was influenced by the famous painters Professor Ballo, Greguss and Szekely.

Around that time his father became seriously ill and could not support Stefan financially any longer, he died in 1901. Stefan found a tutoring position with a wealthy family, which enabled him to continue his studies.

His first commissions were for the Budapest private gallery Almasy, where Jäger’s religious motives, still life and landscapes were sought after. The city of Arad, Jazowa, etc. commissioned Stefan the paintings for their altars.

At the beginning of the 20th century Jäger was already well known and lucky for the Donauschwaben he settled down in Hatzfeld. He returned to Hatzfeld after the war years of 1914-1918 where he participated as a Landsturmann on the Isonsfront and in Dalmatia.

In 1930 Grossbetschkerek went out of its way to help Jäger with his first exhibition. By then he was already known as the “Schwabenmaler” (Danube Swabian artist). For his famous Triptych Jäger visited the diverse localities in Germany to see the original folk costumes from where his beloved Danube Swabians originated from.

Stefan Jäger died in 1962 and is buried in Hatzfeld, besides his mother Magdalena, who passed away in 1927.

The “Stefan Jäger” Memorial House – is located in Jimbolia / Hatzfeld.

Theiszmann Pitzer, Sister Mary Agnes. Es war einmal. The Yesteryears of the Danube Swabians. The book is in English. 269 pp. including 24 black/white photos by renowned Danube Swabian painter Stefan Jäger. Heimat Publishers

Stefan Jäger, Short Bio & childhood photos from the book by Karl-Hans Gross, Stefan Jäger,
Maler seiner heimatlichen Gefilde, @ 1991.