Karl Brandstatter was born in 1946 in Lautz near Villach, Austria. He attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna in 1965. In 1966-67 he attended Summer Academy in Salzburg where he subsequently studied etching with Johnny Friedlaender. In 1968, he was awarded a scholarship by the French government and he moved to Paris. He received his diploma from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna.

Brandstatter went on to further study in Egypt, Hong Kong, Norway, Morocco, Oman, and Turkey as well as spending 1987-1989 in New York. In 1980, he designed the postage stamp “Modern Art in Austria”. He has been a member of the Vienna Künstlerhaus since 1995 and in 2000 he was awarded the honorary title of “Professor” by the President of the Republic of Austria. In 2005, he was a visiting professor in Nanjing, Art Institute, China.

Karl Brandstaetter’s works can be found in the collections of the Albertina, Vienna; Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris; Musée Ixelles, Brussels; Kunstsammlung Klagenfurt; Landesgalerie Klagenfurt; and the Wella Foundation Germany.

Karl Brandstätter lives and works in Ebenthal, Carinthia, Austria.