Karl Schwetz, painter, printmaker, illustrator, designer, sculptor, and ceramist, was born on  in Karnitz, South Moravia, Czech Republic, on July 4, 1888. He studied at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts between 1904 and 1907, where his teachers were Willibald Schulmeister, Erich Mallina, and Anton Josef Ritter von Kenner. This training was followed by studies with Berthold Löffler. Schwetz became a noted book illustrator and as a designer he created models for vases, figurines, and tea sets for the Viennese porcelain manufacturer in Augarten. As a printmaker, Schwetz produced lithographs, etchings and color woodcuts. He worked at the Wiener Werkstätte between 1909 and 1913. Schwetz was highly prolific and numerous examples of his work can be found online.

Karl Schwetz died in Vienna on March 21, 1965.