Arno Stern

Arno Stern (23 June 1924 – 30 June 2024) was a German-born French pedagogue and researcher. Stern was born on 23 June 1924, in Kassel, Hesse, Germany. He attended a school there for three years before emigrating to France with his parents after Hitler came to power. After the outbreak of World War II, the family continued to flee to Switzerland. Together with around 300 other refugees, Stern spent his youth there in a makeshift factory building until the end of the war. During this internment period, the refugees were looked after by aid agencies that provided them with books, including about art history. He was a refugee for 12 years. Stern also used his limited free time to draw in these years. After years of internment and statelessness, Stern returned to France with his family after the war and became a French citizen. He was married to Michéle Stern and the couple have two sons (Bertrand Stern (born 1948) and André Stern (born 1971)) and a daughter (Elénore Stern (born 1978 or 1979)).