Ottomar Anton

Biography

Posters, publicity. Born 15 December 1895 in Hamburg. 1912-13: studied at the Hamburg Kunstgewerbeschule, then with the Firma Plakat-Kunst-Arno-Kypke, Hamburg. From 1921: freelance. At least by early 1930s he was designing posters for HAPAG the Hamburg-Amerika Linie (for which he is especially known), Deutsche Afrika-Linien, Muhlmeister & Johler (a poster for the Graf Zeppelin), and the cigarette maker Kyrazi. 1934-45: taught graphics at the Kunsthandwerkschule, Bremen. Died 1976 in Hamburg.

Writings about

  • Das Plakat, July/Aug. 1921, p. 440 (his work on Hamburg trams)
  • F. Godbarsen, ‘Schiffahrtspropaganda in Hamburg’ (travel publicity), Die Reklame, Oct. (1), 1925, pp. 1079-81 and supplement
  • J. Begler, ‘Der Umschlag dieses Hamburgheftes’, Die Reklame, Oct. (1), pp. 1081-3 (OA’s cover)
  • H.K. Frenzel, ‘Commercial art in Hamburg’, Gg, v. 8, 1928, pp. 2-34
  • Paul Renner, ‘Verkehrswerbung, deutsche Lebensform und Kulturpropaganda’, Die Form, 1932, v. 8, pp. 233-47, esp. p. 241 (travel publicity)
  • Walter Hofmann, ‘Das künstlerische Gesicht der deutschen Schiffahrtswerbung’, AfB, Dec. 1934, pp. 829-32, esp. pp.: facing 848 (poster), facing 868 (poster), 871 Graf Zeppelin poster)
  • H.K. Frenzel, ‘Prof. O. Anton’, Gg, March 1935, pp. 20-21
  • L. Schreiber, ‘New Hamburg-America posters’ (Neue HAPAG-Plakate), Gg, March 1935, pp. 22-7
  • Johann Carl Lamberty, ‘Air Service Advertising’, AfB, Jan. 1936, pp. 1-21
  • Eberhard Hölscher, ‘Advertising presentation in Germany’, Art and Industry, Oct. 1936, pp. 124-43, esp. pp. 136, 138 (posters)
  • Howard Wadman, ‘The advertising of travel’, Penrose Annual, 1938, pp. 50-54 plus inset: no. 4 (Hamburg-Amerika))
  • Walter Hofmann, ‘Die Entwicklung der Deutschen Werbegraphik’, AfB, 1939, facing p. 641 (luggage labels)
  • article in Gg, Dec. 1942
  • V. D. Heydorn, Maler in Hamburg, Hamburg, 1974
  • DdP, 1965, p. 223
  • AKL, 1992
  • O. Matthes and C. Prange, Hamburg und die HAPAG (exh. cat.), Hamburg: Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte, 2000 (posters)
  • www.hamburg.de/Behoerden/Kulturbehoerde/epoc/deutsch.

Exhibitions

  • Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich, Salzburg, Vienna
  • Hamburg, 2000.

Collections

  • Rathaus, Hamburg
  • Staatminist., Munich
  • Temple of Arts Museum, New York.