Walter Breker

Biography

Posters, publicity, catalogues, books. Born 2 April 1904 in Bielefeld. 1918-22: apprenticed as a lithographic printer. 1922-5: studied advertising art at Bielefeld Kunstgewerbeschule. 1925-30: design work for the printing firms Förster & Borries, Zwickau, and Hartung and Co., Hamburg. 1928-32: artistic manager of the book printer A. Wohlfeld, Magdeburg-Berlin. 1932-4: teaching assistant to Wilhelm Deffke at Magdeburg Kunstgewerbeschule. 1934-54: head of department for graphics and book art at Krefeld Werkkunstschule (also called Handwerkerschule). 1951: chairman of Ortsgruppe Düsseldorf-Niederrhein, BDG; designed (with others) the exhibition Deutsche Gebrauchsgraphik, Düsseldorf. 1954-69: head of graphic design at the Düsseldorf Staatlichen Kunstakademie. Art director of the fashion magazine Pfau-Moden. Died 16 September 1980 in Olsberg.

Writings by

  • WWGA, 1962
  • WWGA, 1982.

Writings about

  • H.K. Frenzel, ‘Walter Breker’, Gg, Nov. 1930, pp. 36-41
  • Eberhard Hölscher, ‘The graphic art classes at the Central School of German Arts and Crafts, Krefeld-Ürdingen’ (exh. review), DzS, July 1938, pp. 2-14
  • E. Hölscher, ‘Walter Breker’, DzS, Jan. 1939, pp. 9-15
  • F.G. Winter, ‘Walter Breker’, Graphik, 1950, 2, pp. 90-95
  • Gg, July 1950, p. 52 (poster)
  • E. Hölscher, ‘Advertising art in post-war Germany’, Graphis 34, 1951, pp. 58-79, esp. pp. 59, 61, 67
  • Karl Hans Walter, ‘Funktion und Gestaltung der Schutzmarke’ (logos), Graphik, 1951, 5, pp. 232-5
  • brief biography, Gg, Dec. 1952, p. 55
  • E. Hölscher, ‘Propaganda of banking houses’, Gg, July 1954, pp. 28-31
  • Richard Roth, ‘Aluminium advertising’, Gg, Sept. 1955, pp. 50-53
  • E. Hölscher, ‘Pfau-Moden’ (fashion advertising), Gg, April 1956, pp. 2-9
  • note on Pfau-Moden advertising catalogue, Gg, July 1956, p. 61
  • E. Hölscher, ‘The best German posters of 1955’, Gg, Aug. 1956, pp. 18-25
  • E. Hölscher, ‘The special stamps of the Federal Postal Services 1956’, Gg, March 1957, pp. 22-7
  • Gerda Finsterer-Stuber, Marken und Signete, Stuttgart: Julius Hoffmann, 1957
  • Erich Pfeiffer-Belli, ‘The exhibition programmes of the German Council of Art’, Gg, March 1959, pp. 48-53 (esp. p. 52)
  • E. Hölscher, Gg, Jan. 1959, pp. 14-21 (Gg covers)
  • E. Hölscher, ‘Federal Horticultural Exhibition 1961’ (poster competition), Gg, March 1960, pp. 54-6
  • E. Hölscher, ‘German posters 1959/60’, Gg, Aug. 1960, pp. 10-19
  • E. Hölscher, ‘German posters 1961/2’, Gg, Aug. 1962, pp. 10-23
  • E. Hölscher, ‘The best German posters of 1962/3’, Gg, Aug. 1963, pp. 2-13
  • Marrietta Kleiss, report on WB’s exh., Klingspor Museum, Aus dem Antiquariat, 1972, pp. A365-6
  • Arianna Giachi, ‘Walter Breker’, Graphis 163, 1973, pp. 398-405
  • AKL, 1996
  • FOS, 1998.

Exhibitions

  • Schriftmuseum, Berlin, 1938
  • Klingspor Museum, Offenbach a.M., 1960
  • Städtische Kunsthalle, Düsseldorf, 1963
  • Kunsthalle, Bremerhaven, 1967
  • Klingspor Museum, Offenbach a.M., 1972
  • Museum Folkwang, Essen, 1980.

Collections

  • Klingspor Museum, Offenbach a.M.; Plakat Museum, Essen; Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Krefeld