Franke was born in
Vienna on 14 May 1927. Franke studied
physics, mathematics,
chemistry, psychology and
philosophy in Vienna. He received his doctorate in
theoretical physics in 1950 by writing a dissertation about
electron optics. Since 1957, he worked as a freelance author. From 1973 to 1997 he held a lectureship in "Cybernetical Aesthetic" at
LMU Munich (later computer graphics – computer art). In 1979, he co-founded
Ars Electronica in Linz/Austria. In the 1960s, he edited the
Goldmanns Zukunftsromane (English, "Goldmanns Future Novels") book series. In 1979 and 1980, he lectured in "introduction to perception psychology" at the Art & Design division of the
Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences. Also in 1980, he became a selected member of the German
PEN club. A collection of short stories titled "The Green Comet" was his first publication. In 1998, Franke attended a
SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference in
Orlando and was a juror at the "VideoMath Festival"
Berlin. He also took part in innumerable performances and presentations. In 2006, the
Kunsthalle Bremen purchased many artworks by Franke, plus his extensive collection of works by other computer artists. The Franke collections featured prominently in a 2007 exhibition at the Kunsthalle entitled Ex Machina: Early Computer Graphics up to 1979, plus the accompanying catalogue. The Herbert W. Franke archive is at
ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe. Franke died in
Egling on 16 July 2022 at the age of 95. In 2022, the Art Meets Science – Foundation Herbert W. Franke was established in his honour. The Foundation's website includes information about Franke's life and work, plus news and events such as a conference on generative art held in Berlin in 2024. == Publications ==