Early friend and exponent of German Expressionist artists, taught art history at the Bauhaus. He was born in Karlsbad, Bohemia, which is present-day Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. Adler was born to Therese (née Hirsch) and Mortiz Adler, both of Jewish descent. Adler’s father was a theater critic and socialist. Adler lived in Munich from 1917 onward, where he wrote his dissertation at that university the same year.  His topic was the early development of the woodcut. In Munich he became familiar with the Blauen Reiter artists group and for whom he worked.

German specialist in Asian art history, including East Asian, Southeast Asian, and Indian art and sculpture. Bachhofer began his studies in 1916 before a tour of service as a soldier in the First World War. He returned to his studies in 1918 in Munich studying art  history (under Heinrich Wölfflin, archaeology, philosophy and ethnography of Asia under Lucian Scherman (1864-1946). He completed a dissertation on Japanese woodcuts under these men (whom it is unclear).

Museum director of Austrian art museums. Ernst Heinrich Buschbeck was born to Helene (née Marbach) and Alfred Buschbeck, the father from a prestigious military family. Buschbeck graduated from the Schottengymnasium in Vienna and after a compulsory year of military service 1907-1908, he studied philosophy and jurisprudence at Lausanne and Vienna.  By 1910 he had switched to history and art history, attending lectures in the universities of Berlin (under Heinrich Wölfflin), Halle and Vienna.

Museum director, exponent of German Expressionism, especially  August Macke. Cohen was born in 1880 to Helene and Friedrich Cohen. His father was a book publisher in Bonn, Germany. Cohen graduated from the Städtisches Progymnasium mit Oberrealschule in 1898, and the following year began the study of ancient languages.

Medievalist art historian who later focused on Islamic and Indian art. Cohn-Wiener was born to Alfred Cohn, a pensioner, and Helene Wiener. After graduating from the Bromberg Gymnasium (West Prussia, today Bydgoszcz, Poland) in 1902  he studied art history under the major art historians of Germany in Berlin and Heidelberg. These included, Adolph Goldschmidt, Heinrich Wölfflin, Max J.

Jugenstil/Art Nouveau specialist; theater director. Curjel was born to famous architect, Robert Curjel (1873-1925) and Marie Herrmann (Curjel) (1872-1940). After graduating from the gymnasium in Karlsruhe, Curjel served as a soldier in World War I in uninterrupted war service, 1914-1919.

Lecturer, art critic and art writer of the Weimar Republic. Deri was the son of Ignatz Deutsch (1844-1929), a lawyer and writer, and Therese Pollak (Deutsch). The family changed their surname to “Deri” after a conversion to Christianity from Judaism. After graduating from the Akademisches Gymnasium in Vienna in 1897 he studied mechanical engineering at the Technische Hochschule in Charlottenburg, 1897-1901.  In 1901 he switched to art history in nearby Berlin and then Vienna and Halle.

Modernist (i. e., 19th-20th century) art historian and art theorist; university professor in art history. He was born in Breslau, Silesia, Prussia which is present-day Wroclaw, Poland. Dresdner was born in 1866 to Bertha Wiener and Rudolf Dresdner, the latter a synagogue cantor. He graduated from the Gymnasium Elisabethanum in 1884. From 1884-1889, the young Dresdner attended the university in Berlin where he studied history, geography, philosophy, and art history.

Italian Renaissance and Raphael scholar, Berlin university professor. He was born in Danzig, Prussia which is present-day Gdańsk, Poland. Fischel was the son of Margarete Fischel (father’s name not documented). He studied art history in Königsberg and Strassburg, the latter under Georg Dehio.  He earned his doctorate in 1896 Straßburg with the dissertation, Raphaels Zeichnungen: Versuch einer kritischen Sichtung der bisher veröffentlichten Blätter (“Raphael’s Drawings: Critical Review of Previously Published Papers“).

Photography historian and photographer.  Gernsheim was born to Karl Gernsheim a literary historian at the University of Munich and Hermina Scholz (Gernsheim).  He completed his Abitur in 1933 and studied art history in Munich from 1933-1934. Despite his father’s conversion to Christianity, the younger Gersheim was forced to abandon his schooling when the Nazi government forbade those “non-Aryan descent” in universities.  Between 1934-1936 Gernsheim retrained to a more practical occupation, photography, at the State Institute for Photography in Munich, graduating with a journeyman's level.

Hintze was the son of the mineralogist Carl Hintze (1851-1916). From 1897 to 1901 he studied art history and classical archeology at the University of Wrocław. Beginning in October, 1901, he worked as a research assistant under Karl Masner (1858-1936) at the Silesian Museum of Decorative Arts and Antiquities in Wrocław. In 1913 he was appointed professor. From 1926 he directed the Palace Museum in the Wrocław City Palace, from 1929 until his death he was the director of the Municipal Museums in Wrocław. While director, he hired Ernst Scheyer as an assistant.

Hoeltje was born to Edmund Hoeltje, a professor and director of a mechanical engineering institute.  His family moved from Hannover to Hagen and later Essen both where he attended schools.