Helmut Lortz

Biography

Book design, illustration, posters, photography. Born 25 April 1920 in Darmstadt. First studied sculpture at the Berlin Hochschule für bildenden Künste, then worked for a printer. 1940-45: five years military service. After the war he worked for a printing firm where he learned typesetting, printing and binding. 1947-8?: freelance, work for publishers, industrial clients including Municipality of Darmstadt and its theatre. 1948: member of Neue Darmstädter Sezession. From 1952: taught commercial art at the Darmstadt Werkkunstschule; designed publicity for the pharmaceutical company Merck. 1954: first German member of AGI (Association Graphique Internationale). 1956: awarded City of Darmstadt art prize. 1957: founder member of design group Novum-Gesellschaft (with Blase, Hans Hillmann and others). 1959: appointed professor at the Berlin Hochschule für bildenden Künste. 1970: awarded Johann Heinrich Merck prize.

Writings by

  • Walter Amstutz (ed.), Who’s Who in Graphic Art, 2nd ed., Dübendorf, 1982., 1982.

Writings about

  • Eberhard Hölscher, ‘The special stamps of the Federal Postal Services 1956’, Gebrauchsgraphik (International Advertising Art), Berlin: Phönix Illustrationsdruck und Verlag GmbH (later: ‘Gebrauchsgraphik’ Druck und Verlag GmbH), 1933-71. Published from Munich from 1950., March 1957, pp. 22-7
    • Graphik, 1955, 8, p. 407 (poster)
  • Vollmer, 1956
  • Barthel-Photographik, 1965.
    • Fritz Genzmer, ‘Firm symbols’ (logos, based on G. Finsterer-Stuber, Marken und Signete), Archiv für Druck und Papier, 1955-65; then Archiv für Drucktechnik, 1965-7; then Druck, 1968-73. , 1957, v. 3, pp. 312-15 (esp. p. 312)
  • brief biography, Gebrauchsgraphik (International Advertising Art), Berlin: Phönix Illustrationsdruck und Verlag GmbH (later: ‘Gebrauchsgraphik’ Druck und Verlag GmbH), 1933-71. Published from Munich from 1950., Sept. 1954, p. 56
  • Georg Henzel, ‘Helmut Lortz, Darmstadt’, Gebrauchsgraphik (International Advertising Art), Berlin: Phönix Illustrationsdruck und Verlag GmbH (later: ‘Gebrauchsgraphik’ Druck und Verlag GmbH), 1933-71. Published from Munich from 1950., June 1951, pp. 38-47
  • E. Hölscher, ‘Advertising of the German Federal Postal Services’, Gebrauchsgraphik (International Advertising Art), Berlin: Phönix Illustrationsdruck und Verlag GmbH (later: ‘Gebrauchsgraphik’ Druck und Verlag GmbH), 1933-71. Published from Munich from 1950., April 1957, pp. 20-25
  • Werner Schwier, ‘A Novum in commercial graphic art’ (design group: Novum-Gesellschaft für neue Grafik mbH), Gebrauchsgraphik (International Advertising Art), Berlin: Phönix Illustrationsdruck und Verlag GmbH (later: ‘Gebrauchsgraphik’ Druck und Verlag GmbH), 1933-71. Published from Munich from 1950., Oct. 1959, pp. 10-19

Exhibitions

  • Darmstadt, 1950 and 1956
  • Milan, 1960
  • Berlin, 1965.

Collections

  • Landesmuseum, Darmstadt.