Between 1918 and 1924 Hauer studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna with Josef Jungwirth and Karl Sterrer . In 1927 he had his first solo exhibition at the Neue Galerie Vienna (with Otto Nirenstein-Kallir).

Arthur Roessler the Austrian art historian (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Roessler) wrote in 1927 in an essay in “Austrian Art” about Leopold Hauer: “Finally, once again, we have a man that is not only painter, but a painter that is a true artist , A creative artist endowed with instinct and intelligence, one that does not just produce “Decorate your home with Pictures”. Rather a man who shows himself to us as a gifted or talented artist and an individualist, without as immediate predecessor to showed the way. He is not a naturalist nor is he doctrainaire, he promotes originality and translates his impressions. He has achieved this already with so much skill that anyone who views his pictures is capable of experiencing both their sensual captivating charm and the pure spiritual enjoyment which they induce.”