Frank Böttger

Frank Böttger was born in 1946 in Speyer, Germany. He trained as an electrician and engineer before joining Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) in 1969, where he worked in the company’s EDV (electronics/data processing) department. Böttger focused on computer graphics at MBB, a leading German aerospace and engineering firm known for innovative research. 

At MBB, Böttger developed computer-generated artworks defined by precise, deterministic geometric structures that emphasized symmetry and mathematical clarity. His pieces, such as Interpolation und Rotation and Families of Circles I from 1972, reflect a careful exploration of rotation and interpolation within geometric forms. In collaboration with Aron Warszawski, he created Untitled, 1971, a study of circles and ellipses that pushed the boundaries of early computer-generated imagery. These works were produced using FORTRAN IV programs on an IBM 360/50 mainframe and plotted on a Kongsberg Kingmatic device.

Böttger’s graphics were part of a computer art project directed by Johann Willsberger and featured in the cultural program of the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. He exhibited in the 1973 Tendencies 5 show in Zagreb, which helped define computer graphics as a serious artistic medium in Europe during the Cold War. His work was also shown in Ex Machina – Frühe Computergrafik bis 1979 at Kunsthalle Bremen, alongside other early computer art pioneers. Böttger later settled in Chapel Hill, Brisbane, Australia.