Fred Thieler counts among the most important representatives of the German Informel. It was only after studies of medicine, which he had to give up in 1941, that Fred Thieler decided to study art at the Munich academy after World War II. The beginning of the friendship with Rupprecht Geiger, co-founder of one of the most important artist groups of the Informel, "ZEN 49", to which Fred Thieler would also belong later on, also fell into this time. It is in this fruitful environment that Thieler made abstract paintings that are dominated by expressive colors, mostly blue, black and red, as well as by an exuberant gestic duct. At times he employed color drippings. These expressive powers characterize the graphic oeuvre of Fred Thieler.
Works by the highly-decorated artist, who has been, among others, awarded the Lovis-Corinth-Prize, have been in the focus of numerous retrospectives and can be found in renowned museums. Since 1992 young outstanding talents are awarded the Fred-Thieler-Prize.