A. Paul Weber

Biography

Trademarks, publicity, exlibris , caricatures, certificates, currency. Born Paul Heinrich Andreas Weber 1 November 1893 in Arnstadt, Thüringen. Mostly self-taught, but took evening course as Kunsthandwerker . He was a fine commentator upon contemporary politics; his satirical and powerful ‘cartoons’ and print series were bitter and dark, reminding one of the works of Goya. His long career included cover designs and illustrations for such diverse journals as Widerstand (journal of national-revolutionary politics; 1926-34), Entscheidung (weekend journal, 1932-3), Deutsche Jugend, Das Bild, Die neue linie, Illustrierter Beobachter, Simplicissimus (1943), among many. From c1912: his early advertisements and posters showed the influence of Lucian Bernhard; signed his early work ‘Weber-Moor’. 1914-18: military service, working on railway, Russian front. From 1916: artist, cartoonist for Xth Army journal. 1918: military service, near Spa, Western front. 1918: designed last war number of Leipziger Illustrirten Zeitung, ‘Unsere Eisenbahntruppen’ (Our railway troops). 1918: self-study of Renaissance artists such as Dürer , Jost Amman. From 1919: illustrated numerous books for the Leipzig publisher Erich Matthes. 1921-3: designed emergency money ( Notgeld ) for Arnstadt during inflation period. 1925: formed the Clan-Presse, which produces stationery and publicity material under his direction. 1928-36: designer of the antifascist journal Widerstand (Opposition/Resistance), published by Ernst Niekisch; from 1931: co-publisher. 1929-Dec. 1934: political-satirical drawings for Widerstand. 1932: drawings for the brochure Hitler – ein Deutsches Verhängnis (a German disaster). March 1937: members of the Widerstandkreises (Opposition Circle) taken into custody. Aug. 1937: arrested, imprisoned at Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel, then Berlin and Nuremberg; released 15 December. ( Niekisch was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1939.) Jan.-April 1939: visited USA: New Jersey, New York, Florida. Oct. 1939: began the powerful anti-imperialist print series ‘British Pictures’ (‘Britischen Bildern’; published 1940), for which he was highly praised. 1940: first monograph on his work, published 1936 by Widerstand, withdrawn. Oct.-Nov. 1941: war artist in Ukraine. 1941: again politically and artistically acceptable, his works illustrated a book with a preface by Himmler (Ludwig Weissauer, Soldatengeist, Berlin: Nibelungen, 1941), an odd choice for an illustrator considering the pessimism expressed in the illustrations. 1944-5: war artist (maps) near Soltan. 1952: formation of the A. Paul Weber Circle, Hamburg ( superceded 1974 by the A. Paul Weber-Gesellschaft). 1954-67: drawings appeared in Simplicissimus. 1954: awarded Art Prize, Landes Schleswig-Holstein. 1963: awarded Hans Thoma Medal, Reutlingen. From 1969: work appeared in Erasmus. 1971: awarded Grosse Bundesverdienstkreuz . Died 9 November 1980 in Schretstaken. He was a prolific artist and designer; his work is memorable.

Writings by

  • Kritische Kalender, 1959-79 (self-published)
    • interview with W. Kammerer, in Georg Reinhardt (ed.), A. Paul Weber 1930-78/Handzeichnungen/Lithographien, Cologne: Rheinland, 1978, pp. 19-20 (previously published in stimme und weg, no. 14, March 1967, pp. 4-8)
  • Kritische Kalender, 1959-79 (Arnold Köster, ed.), Munich:Bruckmann, 1981
  • .

Writings about

  • Vollmer, 1961 (exhibitions, to 1959
  • bibliography, to 1957)
  • Werner Krüger, Die Karikatur als Medium der politischen Bildung, Opladen: Leske, 1969
  • Comprehensive references are Reinhardt, 1978, Schumacher, 1984, 1990 and 1993.
  • 1917-69: ‘Zu den Exlibris von Paul Weber’, Deutsches Volkstum, May 1917, pp. 234-5
  • Walter von Zur Westen, ‘Notentitel’, Das Plakat, March 1921, pp. 146-74, esp. facing p. 174
    • Rudolf Fischer, ‘Der Zeichner A. Paul Weber’, Widerstand, v. 12, 1929, pp. 377-80
  • Hugo Fischer, A. Paul Weber/Zeichnungen, Holzschnitte und Gemälde, Berlin: Widerstands, 1936
  • Wilhelm Westecker, ‘Zeichnungen im Kampf gegen England/Zu A. Paul Webers “Britischen Bildern”’, Die Kunst im Deutschen Reich, March 1941, pp. 88-95
  • Georg Ramseger (ed.), A. Paul Weber. Graphik, Oldenburg/Hamburg: Stalling, 1956
    • Eva Mieke, ‘Der imperialistische Krieg 1914-18 im Spiegel des zyklisch-grafischen Schaffens Deutscher Künstler’, Bildende Kunst, 1960, 2, pp. 95-102 E. Mieke, ‘Die antimilitaristische Tendenz in der Darstellung des Krieges im grafischen Zyklus der zwanziger Jahre’, Bildende Kunst, 1960, 8, pp. 535-40
  • 1970-79: Hans Laut, ‘Exlibris von Illustratoren’, Illustration 63, Aug. 1971, pp. 59-62
  • Günther Nicolin, ‘A. Paul Weber/Zeichner-Illustrator-Graphiker’, Antiquariat, 1971, pp. 153-60 (includes list of illustrated books)
  • G. Nicolin, ‘A. Paul Weber/Illustration und Graphik’, Illustration 63, Nov. 1973, pp. 74-7
    • ‘A. Paul Weber 80 Jahre’, Exlibris und Kleingraphik, no. 12, Dec. 1973, p. 94
  • Werner Schartel (ed.), Kunst im Widerstand – A. Paul Weber/Das antifaschistische Werk ( exh . cat.), Berlin/Hamburg: Elefanten, 1977
  • Georg Reinhardt (ed.), A. Paul Weber 1930-78/Handzeichnungen/Lithographien, Cologne: Rheinland, 1978 (biography, bibliography, list of exhibitions 1947-78)
  • Georg Reinhardt (ed.), A. Paul Weber, Das Graphische Werk (1930-78) ( exh . cat.), Bonn: Rheinisches Landesmuseum, 1978 (biography, bibliography, list of exhibitions 1947-78)
  • 1980-present: Georg Reinhardt (ed.), A. Paul Weber, Das Graphische Werk (1930-78) ( exh . cat. of 1978), Munich: Schirmer-Mosel, 1980 (biography, bibliography, list of exhibitions 1947-78)
    • review of A. Paul Weber, Das Graphische Werk (1930-78) ( exh . cat.), in Graphische Kunst, 17/2, 1981 G. Nicolin, ‘Wie ein Druckerzeichen entsteht. Ein Skizzenbuch von A. Paul Weber’, Imprimatur, Band X, 1982, pp. 114-31
  • Harald Isermeyer, ‘Ein politischer Künstler aus der Jugendbewegung/A. Paul Weber’, Jahrbuch des Archivs der Deutschen JugenDBEwegung, 1982/3
  • H. Isermeyer, A. Paul Weber/Die Britischen Bilder, Ensingen: Weber Archivs, 1983
  • Helmut Schumacher (ed.), A. Paul Weber/Das illustrierte Werk (books, bindings, jackets, etc.), Lübeck: Lucifer-Verlag, Kunsthaus, 1984
  • A. Paul Weber/Werkverzeichnis der Exlibris, Lübeck: Lucifer-Verlag, Kunsthaus, 1987
  • A. Paul Weber 1893-1980/Lithografien, Handzeichnungen, Holzschnitte ( exh . cat.), Halle: Staatliche Galerie Moritzburg, 1987
  • Hans-Georg Sehrt, ‘A. Paul Weber 1893-1980’, Bildende Kunst, June 1988, pp. 259-61 ( inc. photo of APW)
  • Helmut Schumacher (ed.), A. Paul Weber/Werkverzeichnis der Gebrauchsgraphik (exh . cat.), Lübeck: Lucifer-Verlag, Kunsthaus, 1990
  • MGD, 1991, p. 37
  • MGD, 1992 (bibliography)
  • H. Schumacher (ed.), A. Paul Weber 1893-1980/Handzeichnungen und Lithographien ( exh . cat., Hannover and Leipzig), Stuttgart: Hatje, 1993
  • Herbert Kirmse, ‘Goethes Reineke Fuchs’, Imprimatur, 1994, pp. 43-79, esp. pp. 64, 65
  • www.weber-museum.de
  • Wolfgang Walliczek, ‘Satirical drawings by A. Paul Weber’, novum, Dec. 1979, pp. 52-6
  • Deutsche Biographische Enzyklopädie, Munich, London, New Providence: K.G. Saur 1995- (from 1997: Munich only)., 1999

Exhibitions

  • Overbeck Gesellschaft, Lübeck, 1947
  • Kunsthalle, Kiel, 1949
  • Kunsthalle, Bremen, and Mannheim, 1951
  • Städt. Museum, Flensburg, 1952
  • Kunstkreis, Hameln, 1953
  • Pavillon der Kunst, Berlin, 1954 (group)
  • Association of Berlin Artists, Berlin, 1955
  • Hamburg, 1955
  • Wilhelm Busch Museum, Hannover, 1957
  • Max Planck School, Kiel, 1958
  • Kunstverein, Braunschweig, 1959
  • Wilhelm Busch Museum, Hannover, 1964 (group)
  • Wilhelm Busch-Gesellschaft, Hannover, 1972
  • Bonn, Hamburg, 1975
  • Reykjavik, 1977
  • Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Bonn, and Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte, Münster, 1978
  • Kunsthaus, Bonn (travelling exh .), 1983
  • Staatliche Galerie Moritzburg, Halle, 1987
  • Kunsthaus, Lübeck, 1990
  • Museum Schloss Burgk, Burgk, 1993
  • Wilhelm Busch Museum, Hannover, Oct. 1993-Jan. 1994 (then Museum der bildenden Künste, Leipzig, 1994)
  • Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek, Düsseldorf, Dec. 1993-Feb. 1994.

Collections

  • A. Paul Weber Haus, Ratzeburg
  • Deutsche Akademie der Künste, Berlin.