Richard Blank

Biography

Publicity, typography, lettering, book-jackets, postage stamps. Born 9 June 1901 in Berlin. 1918-23: trained at the Berlin Kunstgewerbemuseumschule: a teacher was Emil Orlik. Associated with the Berlin publisher Ullstein for 10 years, then as art director for the publisher Scherl. Mid 1930s: illustrated covers for Sport im Bild. 1942-5: military service, then worked for three years for Berlin newspapers and illustrated journals. 1948-69: taught lettering and graphic design at the Hochschule für Bildenden Künste, Berlin-Charlottenburg (1949: professor). One of the founders of the Association of German Graphic Artists (Bund Deutscher Gebrauchsgraphiker: BDG). Blank received an award at the Milan Triennale, 1954, for his graphic work in lettering and typography, which included postage stamps, newspaper mastheads (Die Welt, Der Tages Spiegel), book jackets and posters. Died 8 August 1972 in Berlin.

Writings by

  • WWGA, 1962.

Writings about

  • H.K. Frenzel, ‘Blank’, Gg, Nov. 1930, pp. 16-23
  • H.K. Frenzel, ‘Richard Blank, Berlin’, Gg, May 1937, pp. 30-35
  • Anton Sailer, ‘Arbeiten von Richard Blank, Berlin’, Gg, June 1951, pp. 56-60
  • Peter Heemskerk, ‘Berlin ist eine Reise wert’ (travel posters), Graphik, 1953, pp. 658-63, esp. pp. 659, 662
  • Eberhard Hölscher, ‘The sufferings of the Berlin heraldic bear’, Gg, Feb. 1954, pp. 52-5
  • brief biography, Gg, Sept. 1955, p. 55
  • E. Hölscher, ‘The best German posters of 1956, Gg, Aug. 1957, pp. 2-7
  • Ludwig Ebenhöh, ‘European stamps 1957’, Gg, March 1958, pp. 40-41
  • E. Hölscher, ‘Richard Blank’, Gg, June 1959, pp. 14-17 (jackets, stamps)
  • E. Hölscher, ‘Federal Horticultural Exhibition 1961’ (poster competition), Gg, March 1960, pp. 54-6
  • E. Hölscher, ‘A new German TV-station symbol’ (competition), Gg, June 1963, pp. 54-6
  • AKL, 1995.