The Life and Origins of Fred Klein Born on 8 April 1898 in Bandung, Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia), Fred Klein began his life far from the European landscapes that would later define his career. His connection to the Netherlands was established early when his family moved there in 1903, when he was only five years old. This transition from the tropics to the Netherlands marked the first significant shift in a life that would eventually become deeply rooted in the French tradition. The year 1920 proved to be a turning point as Klein moved to France, a place where he would spend mu…