Richard Seewald

Biography

German-Swiss. Born Richard Josef Michael Seewald 4 May 1889 in Arnswalde/Neumark. 1909: briefly studied architecture at the Munich Technical College; drew caricatures for journals, including Jugend and Lustigen Blätter. then trained as a painter. From 1913: numerous exhibitions in Germany, France, Switzerland. From 1919: member of the Munich Secession. From 1912: frequent travels on drawing, painting trips: Paris, London, Dalmatia, Italy, Corsica, Sicily, Tunisia, Greece, Palestine. 1924-31: taught decorative art at the Meisterschule für gestaltendes Handwerk (Werkkunstschule), Cologne. 1931: moved to Switzerland. 1933: settled in Ronco, in the Tessin. From 1936: painted frescoes in churches; influenced by Giotto. 1939: acquired Swiss nationality. 1953-8: taught at the Munich Akademie der bildenden Künste. 1957: member of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts. Illustrated books for German publishers Goltz and Wolff, both in Munich. Died 29 October 1976 in Munich (or Ronco).

Writings by

  • Short autobiography in Der Ararat (Munich art journal), 1921, p. 155.
  • Four autobiographical works: Gestehe, dass ich glücklich bin (1942)
  • Der Mann von gegenüber (1963)
  • Neumond über meinem Garten (1970)
  • Die Zeit befiehlts, wir sind ihr untertahn (1977)
  • and Verwandlungen der Tiere, Zurich: Atlantis, 1944
    • letter to a friend about his projects, Das Kunstwerk, 1946/7, v. III, p. 46
  • Symbole, Lucerne: Schweizer Volksbuchgem., c1948
  • Giotto. Eine Apologie des Klassischen, Olten: Walter, 1950
    • ‘Das Abenteuer der Wandmalerei’ (frescoes), Das Kunstwerk, 1951, v. 1, pp. 45-7 (inc. photos of his frescoes)
  • Das griechische Inselbuch, Cologne/Olten: Jakob Hegner, 1958
  • ‘Kunst der Kontur – eine vergessene Kunst?’, Illustration 63, Nov. 1971, pp. 84-9
    • ‘Wie es zur Blüte der Deutschen Buchkunst 1920-23 kam’, Illustration 63, v. 4, 1973, pp. 114-22 (repr. in Dorothea Eimert, 1977 (below)
  • ‘Erinnerung an Max Unold’, Illustration 63, April 1977, pp. 4-5
  • Die Zeit befiehlt’s, Wir sind Ihr Untertan/Lebenserinnerungen, Freiburg: Herder, 1977
  • ‘Meine Kölner Jahre’, repr. in D. Eimert, 1977 (below), pp. 13-17.

Writings about

    short biography, Das Kunstwerk, 1951, v. 1, p. 59
  • Comprehensive references are Vollmer, 1958, and Dorothea Eimert, 1977 (see below).
    • Kurt Pfister, ‘Richard Seewald’, Wieland, 1920, v. 3, pp. 11-12
  • Guido Kaschnitz, notes on RS’s illustrated books, in Der Ararat (Munich art journal), 1921, pp. 174-6 (and ads for these on other pages)
  • Wilhelm Hausenstein, ‘Richard Seewald’, Der Cicerone, 1922, pp. 491-502
    • W. Hausenstein, ‘Richard Seewald’, Der Cicerone, 14, 1932
  • Arthur Rümann, ‘Die deutsche Buchillustration’, Imprimatur, 1939/40, pp. 129-44
  • Vollmer, 1958 (includes bibliography, list of publications, exhibitions: 1924-55)
  • GKS, 1963, p. 221
  • Ralph Jentsch (ed.), Richard Seewald. Das Graphische Werk, Esslingen, 1973
  • Curt Visel, ‘Richard Seewald zum Gedächtnis’ (obituary), Illustration 63, April 1977, pp. 2-3
  • Dorothea Eimert (ed.), Richard Seewald (exh. cat.), Düren: Leopold-Hoesch-Museum, 1977 (includes biography, D. Eimert: ‘Der Maler Richard Seewald’, Helmut Ackermann: ‘Bei Richard Seewald in Ronco’, and RS: ‘Meine Kölner Jahre’. An accompanying booklet includes list of RS’s illustrated books, list of RS’s illustrated books of his travels, publications about RS, and his ‘Wie es zur Blüte der Deutschen Buchkunst 1920-23 kam’)
    • Helmut Ackermann, ‘Bei Richard Seewald in Ronco’, Graphische Kunst, 1977, 8/1, pp. 9-11
  • Anton Sailer, Richard Seewald (monograph), Munich: Thiemig, 1977
  • comments on A. Sailer, Richard Seewald, in Illustration 63, Nov. 1977
  • Munzinger Archiv, 1977
  • Heiny Widmer, Richard Seewald (exh. cat.), Aarau: Aargauer Kunsthaus, 1979 (inc. biography, biblio)
  • Michael Euler-Schmidt, Ursula Codoni, Hubert Vogl, Richard Seewald (centenary exh. cat.), Cologne: Stadtmuseum, 1989
  • Friedrich Kienecker, ‘Richard Seewald’, in W. Killy (ed.), Literatur Lexikon, Gütersloh/Munich: Bertelsmann, 1991
  • MGD, 1992
  • Benezit, 2006 (includes auction records 1969-2002).
  • Deutsche Biographische Enzyklopädie, Munich, London, New Providence: K.G. Saur 1995- (from 1997: Munich only)., 1998
  • Ernst Fischer and others, Buchgestaltung im Exil 1933-1950. Eine Ausstellung des Deutschen Exilarchivs 1933-1945 Der Deutschen Bibliothek. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2003. Very comprehensive. , 2003, and biog. pp. 198-9
  • Remigius Netzer, ‘ Richard Seewald, the designer’, Gebrauchsgraphik (International Advertising Art), Berlin: Phönix Illustrationsdruck und Verlag GmbH (later: ‘Gebrauchsgraphik’ Druck und Verlag GmbH), 1933-71. Published from Munich from 1950., June 1954, pp. 26-36
  • R. Netzer, ‘Illustrations by Richard Seewald’ (‘Written in water’), Gebrauchsgraphik (International Advertising Art), Berlin: Phönix Illustrationsdruck und Verlag GmbH (later: ‘Gebrauchsgraphik’ Druck und Verlag GmbH), 1933-71. Published from Munich from 1950., May 1960, pp. 24-9

Exhibitions

  • ( selected ) Salon d’Automne, Paris, 1911
  • Galerie Thannhäuser, Munich, 1911
  • Sturm, Berlin, 1913
  • Munich, 1916
  • Munich-Gladbach, 1924
  • Cologne, 1924, 1927, 1930
  • Stafford Gallery, London, 1939
  • Städtische Galerie, Munich, 1952
  • Kunstverein, Frankfurt a.M., 1953
  • Kunstverein, Munich, 1961
  • Munich, 1973/4
  • Leopold-Hoesch-Museum, Düren, 1977
  • Stadtmuseum, Cologne, 1989 (centenary exh ., then to Kunstmuseum, Olten
  • Gemeindemuseum, Ascona
  • Stadtmuseum, Munich).

Collections

  • Richard-Seewald-Stiftung, Ascona/Ronco.