Gunter Böhmer

Biography

Paintings, illustrations, books, book jackets. Born 13 April 1911 in Dresden. 1930-31: studied at the Dresden Kunstgewerbeakademie and Technische Hochschule. 1931-3: studied at the Hochschule für Bildende Kunst, Berlin: teachers included Emil Orlik and Hans Meid. Illustrated books for numerous publishers including Officina Bodoni, Verona (1935-6), Limited Editions Club, New York (1936). 1933: settled in Switzerland; lived in Montagnola, Tessin, near his friend Hermann Hesse. Designed for publishers Suhrkamp, S. Fischer (Frankfurt a.M.), Tschudy (St Gallen, Switzerland), and numerous publishers in Germany, Italy, France and USA. Awarded numerous prizes for his illustrations and book jacket deigns. 1960-76: taught at the Staatliche Akademie der bildenden Künste, Stuttgart. 29 May 1981: Awarded the Hermann-Hesse-Medaille. Died 8 January 1986 in Lugano.

Writings by

  • Tagebuch eines Malers, Olten, 1944
  • ‘Notiz über die Buchillustration’, 1944 (repr. in Halbey, 1957 exh. cat., below)
  • ‘Buchumschläge! Schutzumschläge!’, Das Schönste, Oct. 1959, pp. 22-7 (repr. in WK, 1996, p. 70)
  • Schriftliches, Olten: Vereinigung Oltner Bücherfreund, 1961
  • ‘Vierzehn Sätze und vierzehn Zeichnungen’, Imprimatur, 1970, pp. 281-96 (repr. in WK, 1996, p. 84)
  • ‘Notizen über die Buchillustration’ (from GB’s Schriftliches, 1961, pp. 39-45, repr. in WK, 1996)
  • Gespräch, (text by GB and Curt Visel), Memmingen: Visel, 1989
  • Das Tagebuch von Gunter Böhmer – Purrmanniana (Eduard Hindelang, ed.), Stuttgart: Thorbecke, 2000.

Writings about

  • Konrad F. Bauer, ‘Gunter Böhmer’, Gg, May 1940, pp. 2-11
  • Leopold Zahn, ‘Gunter Bohmer’ (prints), Das Kunstwerk, 1951, v. 3, pp. 42-3
  • Modern Publicity 1953-4, 1953, p. 113
  • Hans Adolf Halbey, ed., Gunter Böhmer (exh. cat.), Offenbach a.M.: Klingspor Museum, 1957 (repr. in WK, 1996, pp. 68-9)
  • Rudolf Adolph, Montagnola, St Gallen: Tschudy, 1957
  • H.A. Halbey, ‘Der Zeichner Gunter Böhmer’, Imprimatur, 1958/60, pp. 27-84
  • GKS, 1962
  • Peter Mieg (intro.), Gunter Böhmer, St Gallen: Tschudy, 1963
  • G.K. Schauer, ‘The advertising book-jacket 1962’, Gg, Oct. 1963, pp. 8-19
  • Hans Fegers (ed.), Walter Brudi, Eugen Funk, Gunther Böhmer (exh. cat.), Stuttgart: Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, 1963
  • Curt Visel and Hans A. Halbey, Gunter Böhmer, Memmingen, 1967
  • Hans Laut, ‘Exlibris von Illustratoren’, Illustration 63, Aug. 1971, pp. 59-62
  • Peter Mieg, ‘Am dichterischen Stoff entzündet – Gunter Böhmers Zeichnungen zum “Kroll”’, Badener Tagblatt, no. 35, 22 Nov. 1975 (repr. in WK, 1996, pp. 79-81)
  • ‘Laudatio fur Gunter Bohmer’, H.A. Halbey, Im weiten Feld der Buchkunst, Offenbach am Main: Wilhelm Kumm, 1982, pp. 53-63
  • IBD, 1983
  • Pfäfflin, 1986
  • DBE, 1995
  • biography, WK, 1996, pp. 174-5
  • AKL, 1996
  • note on GB’s work, Graphische Kunst, 2000, pp. 74-5
  • BiE, 2003, p. 121, and biog. pp. 149-50
  • Susann Rysavy (ed.), Gunter Böhmer (bibliography of GB’s illustrated books), Warmbronn: Keicher, 2003.

Collections

  • Gunter Böhmer Stiftung, Calw
  • Klingspor Museum, Offenbach a.M.
  • Staatliche Kunsthalle, Baden-Baden
  • Schiller National Museum, Marbach.

Exhibitions

  • Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, 1957
  • Klingspor Museum, Offenbach a.M., 1957
  • Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart, 1963
  • Galerie Schwarzes Kloster, Freiburg i. Br., 1971
  • Galerie der Stadt, Stuttgart, 1973
  • Museum Langenargen am Bodensee, 2000.