1908 Born in Hamburg.
1923-25 Studies in the studios for sculpture of Carl Briese.
1925 Studies at the Staatliche Schulen für freie und angewandte Kunst in Hamburg.
Preoccupation with the oeuvre of Rodin and Maillol.
1928 Journeys to Berlin, Dresden, Prague and Vienna.
Gets to know Georg Kolbe.
1929 Visits Bernhard Hoetger.
Paris-Scholarship. Stays in Paris until 1932.
1932 Journey to Florence and studies of the Etruscan Art.
1934 Member of the Reichskammer der bildenden Künste.
1935 First abstract sculpture: Durchlöcherte Form.
1936 Moves to Berlin.
Hides the abstract works.
Dealing with the oeuvre of Henry Moore and Hans Arp.
1939 Journey to Paris, where he meets Constantin Brancusi, Hans Arp and Henri Laurens.
1941 Is drafted for military service, but stationed near Berlin.
1943-44 Partial destruction of his works during a bomb attack.
Journeys to Paris and visits to Pablo Picasso, Constantin Brancusi and Henri Laurens.
1945 Russian prisoner.
1946 First solo exhibition in the Galerie Gerd Rosen, Berlin.
1948 Founding of the group «Zone 5».
1949 Founding of the «Berliner Neue Gruppe» and Membership at the «Neue Gruppe» in Munich.
1950 Founding of the Deutscher Künstlerbund.
Art Award of Berlin (together with Hans Uhlmann and Berhard Heiliger).
First large sculptures.
1951 Member of the Munich artist's group «ZEN 49».
Professorship at the Hochschule für bildende Künste, Berlin.
1952-54 Retrospective exhibition in Berlin, Hannover, Wuppertal, Hagen, Recklinghausen, Krefeld, Dortmund, Hamburg, Essen, Bremen, Mannheim, Köln, Stuttgart.
1954 Cornelius-Award of the city Düsseldorf.
1955 Takes over the first chairmanship of the Deutscher Künstlerbund.
documenta I in Kassel.
1959 documenta II in Kassel.
1959-64 Head of the Department of Fine Arts and Deputy Director of the Hochschule für bildende Künste in Berlin.
1961 Big art award of the state North Rhine-Westphalia for sculpture.
1967 Died in Berlin.
