German, 1874–1949
Ludwig Hohlwein (1874–1949) was a German poster artist and graphic designer, born in Wiesbaden on 26 July 1874. He studied architecture at the Technische Hochschule in Munich and in Dresden, made study trips to London and Paris, and first practised as an architect and interior designer in Munich before turning to poster design.
Most of his poster work dates from about 1908 to 1925, and by 1925 he had already designed some 3,000 advertisements. His style is instantly recognisable: sharply defined forms, bright colours, strong contrasts of light and shade, textured patterns and a good deal of humour, with animals, hunting, technology and landscape among his favourite themes. The poster historian Alain Weill called him the most prolific and brilliant German poster artist of the 20th century.
His later career is overshadowed by politics: he joined the Nazi party in 1933 and produced propaganda for the regime, which led to a temporary ban on working after 1945. From 1946 he again worked as a commercial artist in a small studio in Berchtesgaden, where he died in September 1949.
12 artworks
