Born in Pless in the former German kingdom of Prussia, Friedlaender attended the Academy of Arts in Breslau, where he studied lithography and etching under Expressionist artist Otto Mueller. In 1930, he moved to Dresden, where his work was included in group exhibitions at Galerie J. Sandel and, in 1936, he traveled to Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, Austria, France, and Belgium. Friedlaender spent most of his adult life in Paris, after fleeing Nazi Germany in 1937.