Photomontages presents some of the most powerful political art of the modern era. The exhibition explores the range of heartfields achievements and provides a substantive view of the artist. Discover interesting facts about john heartfield on artnet. He recognized fascism early on, and at age 18, as a response to german nationalism after wwi, he changed his name from helmut herzfeld to the anglicized john heartfield. John heartfield, and hannah hoch were unusually adept in their innovative use of collage and montage to make ironic comments on a range of political and social issues in german society. The first extensive american exhibition of the work of john heartfield, a member of the berlin dadaists who is known as the inventor of photomontage, john heartfield. Heartfields 19301938 photo montages for the aiz are the most clear powerful warnings of the rise of fascism. John heartfield was born with the name helmut franz josef herzfeld, on june 19, 1891, in berlin, germany. As with his antinationalist protest, heartfields connection to the names sinclair and brecht indicates much about his artistic and political sensibility. This book sets the famous magazine covers against heartfields pristine, unlettered original collages, preserved in the berlin and london archives. Posts about book covers written by gareth branwyn, andrea james, and ben marks.
Boing boing uses cookies and analytics trackers, and is. Heartfield also had his work published in reynolds news, inside nazi germany and as book jackets or covers, especially for the publisher lindsay drummond ltd 19439. Typography and lettering on book jackets and covers. Book graphics heartfield pioneering graphic design and typography for authors such as upton sinclair and kurt tucholsky. Art and mass media by kahn, douglas and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. John heartfield biography infos for sellers and buyers. Photography, persuasion, and the rise of avantgarde photomontage is precisely such a book. John heartfield, the original culture jammer dangerous minds. John heartfield june 1891 26 april is the anglicized name of the german photomontage artist helmut herzfeld.
Sometime in the early 1990s i was introduced to the photomontages of john heartfield. John heartfield and george grosz are responsible for the publishing houses artistic profile. Heartfield book art 1928 john heartfield exhibition. Cover designs by leading designers of the day including john heartfield 14 covers, paul neu, george. Thank you for helping to increase my grandfathers recognition and renown. Jf ptak science books quick post daily dose from dr. Heartfield s book jacket design for upton sinclairs book after the great flood. Laughter is a devastating weapon david king on the famed german photomontage artist by jeff lusanne 28 december 2015 laughter is a devastating weapon tate publishing, october. He recognized fascism early on, and at age 18, as a response to german nationalism after wwi, he changed his. Since many of the authors were little known or foreign, the dust cover was important in attracting attention.
With heartfield as the books center, andres mario zervigon. Heartfield used photomontage extensively in his innovative book dust jackets for the berlin publishing house malikverlag. John heartfield is known for the work he made during the german weimar republic 19191933 and the following period of nazi rule. John heartfield and the agitated image andres mario. In 1916, outraged by antibritish sentiment and the nationalistic slogan gott strafe england may god punish england, he anglicises his name. A novel from the year 2000 1925 visualizes a great wave swallowing a city. John heartfield book cover dada art, graphic design collection. This press, run by his brother wieland herzfelde, aimed to make leftist books on social issues inexpensively available to the german public. He placed images on the front and back of the jackets to instantly convey the books content. Photomontage became heartfields specific artistic weapon. Many customers bought malikverlag books without intending to read them. Im john heartfields paternal grandson, john j heartfield.
Heartfield s formative training in advertising and experiences with dada theatricality provided him with the visual tools to affect and persuade viewers to action and critical thinking. Heartfield personifies germany in the cover image of the book. John heartfield and the dawn of photomontage retroavangarda. Many were published by malikverlag, the publishing house that was a joint venture of john and his brother, wieland herzfelde wieland herzfeld. Professor zervigons book shines with the type of research that informs the reader of the passion the author has for his subject.
In some instances we see censored and uncensored versions of book covers. Photomontages of the nazi period by john heartfield. Forget the bookswhat do our book covers say about us. All other translations from german provided by nancy reynolds. Im the curator of the official john heartfield exhibition.
John heartfield 18911968 was one of the most important and innovative political satirical artists to use his work to oppose fascism. Heartfield effectively uses a montaged image of a tsunamisize wave and a skyscraper in the form of a single photograph across the front and back covers. Revolutionary beauty offers the first sustained study of the german artist john heartfields groundbreaking political photomontages, published in the leftwing weekly arbeiter illustrierte zeitung aiz during the 1930s. Collection of 84 weimar era book jackets from 192632.
Essay by wieland herzfelde translated by eva bergoffen. The political photomontages and collaged book covers of john heartfield 18911968 have their origins in berlin dada. John, moreover, has traveled numerous times to rutgers, where, together, we have sifted through the many. Kriebel foregrounds the critical artistic practices with which heartfield directly confronted the. A comprehensive gallery of john heartfield political book art for malikverlag publishing. Heartfield also created book jackets for book authors, such as upton sinclair, as well as stage sets for contemporary playwrights, such as bertolt brecht and erwin piscator. John heartfield the wolfsonianfiu, miami beach fl september 21, 2007 february 10, 2008 illustration omitted although compact, there was something electric in this sampling of john heartfields work, maybe even untimelymaking it a. Heartfields formative training in advertising and experiences with dada theatricality provided him with the visual tools to affect and. See more ideas about photomontage, dadaism art and dada art. The john heartfield galleries will soon feature comprehensive collections of his dada, book cover graphic design, antifascist art, antiwar art, art against the third reich, and theatre set design. Heartfields book jacket design for upton sinclairs book after the great flood.
His posters and book covers for the malikverlag and magazine covers for the arbeiterillustriertezeitung aiz are essential components of the political iconography of the weimar republic as well as of anti. John heartfield book covers is an expanding collection of the book dust covers heartfield created for his publishing house malikverlag and others. The back cover of this edition and the 1924 edition is simply a photo of a klan. Laughter is a devastating weapon david king and ernst. One of heartfield s longest engagements entailed designing book covers for malik verlag. In 1938 he reached london, where among other things he designed book covers for penguin books. Revolutionary beauty the radical photomontages of john. Heartfield also became known for his strikingly original book jackets, which he designed for his brothers publishing firm, malikverlag, for works by such authors as upton sinclair, john dos passos, and ilya ehrenburg. His grandsons john heartfield and bob sondermeijer generously offered blanket publication permission for this tomes heartfield images.
Heartfield also collaborated with other antifascist artists, such as george grosz, especially in creating collages in the early postwar years. Nov 23, 2012 andres mario zervigons john heartfield and the agitated image. Only recently has john heartfields work been studied on its own terms, as progressive graphic design. Dec 26, 20 heartfield designed book covers for upton sinclair and many other authors and also designed stage sets for bertolt brecht.
What our book covers reveal about us eye on design. Some of his most famous photomontages were antinazi and antifascist statements. They designed an identity, ten covers and several print for the new book. A growing portfolio compilation of john heartfields helmut herzfeld art for book covers. One of heartfields longest engagements entailed designing book covers for malik verlag. It was observed that many books were purchased simply because of heartfields covers, not for the books content. Heartfield was the first to use photomontage to tell a story from the front cover of the book to the back cover. John heartfield biography john heartfield on artnet. John heartfield the wolfsonianfiu, miami beach fl september 21, 2007 february 10, 2008 illustration omitted although compact, there was something electric in this sampling of john heartfield s work, maybe even untimelymaking it a good antidote for our time of endless regressions.
Returning to germany in 1950, john heartfield designed stage sets, working for bertold brecht and other directors. The stark black and white collage work meshed well with my punk aesthetic tastes at the time, and many bits and pieces of heartfield were showing up on record covers, discharges never again being one of the most highprofile examples. Heartfields collage is a searing visual attack on germanys corrupt social democratic party spd. This picture book trenchantly criticized rightwing nationalism, the military, the democratic system, and capitalism. Germanys golden age of book cover design print magazine. Heartfield designed book covers for upton sinclair and many other authors and also designed stage sets for bertolt brecht.
Of course, there is so much more to his life and work than you could cover in this brief article. The first extensive american exhibition of the work of john heartfield. John heartfield peter pachnicke, klaus honnef, john heartfield on. With gripping imagery and trenchant humour, the artist fought against war and fascism, using works whose explosive power has lost none of its impact today. Nov 01, 2010 sometime in the early 1990s i was introduced to the photomontages of john heartfield. With vitriolic wit, heartfield 18911968, like his friend george grosz, unmasked materialism, bourgeois pretensions and the abuse of power in germany in the late 1920s.
These photomontages were used for the book covers of the malikverlag and other progressive publishing houses. In 1917, with his brother weiland, he founds the publishing house, malikverlag, for whom he will produce numerous book covers. His father was franz herzfeld, a writer, and his mother was alice nee stolzenburg, a textile worker. Andres mario zervigons john heartfield and the agitated image. This was the standard style for many of the sinclair books. His innovative covers told a story from the front cover of the book to the back. Only recently has john heartfield s work been studied on its own terms, as progressive graphic design.
Antifascist art john heartfield s powerful antifascist art masterpieces. In 1918, he joins the german communist party and the berlin club dada. John heartfield peter pachnicke, klaus honnef, john heartfield on amazon. John heartfield was a german visual artist who pioneered the use of art as a political weapon. Heartfield s collage is a searing visual attack on germanys corrupt social democratic party spd. Heartfield, whose work appeared on book jackets and posters, savaged the political thuggery behind. The book cover in the weimar republic is based upon an earlier edition holstein selfpublished a decade ago, and that has since become a rare collectible, selling.
Apr 14, 2018 these photomontages were used for the book covers of the malikverlag and other progressive publishing houses. His photomontages and book covers based on collages which had their origins in berlins dada scene were directed against fascism and made him. John heartfields descendants have been equally gracious. They design the iconic book covers, advertising materials and all other malik products. John heartfield, antinazi artist arts, artists, artwork. Odd just a collection of hands on the covers of books and pamphlets. Photomontages of the nazi period, by john heartfield. Dec 18, 2018 john heartfield 18911968 was one of the most important and innovative political satirical artists to use his work to oppose fascism. John heartfield and the agitated image offers a compelling reconstruction, based on new archival research, of the slow but steady trajectory of john heartfield, george grosz, and wieland herzfelde toward dada, photomontage, and critical publishing in the weimar republic. Laughter is a devastating weapon and finds it an excellent visual resource.
Nov 18, 2016 john heartfield is known for the work he made during the german weimar republic 19191933 and the following period of nazi rule. A member of berlins shortlived dada group and a pioneer of photomontage, german artist john heartfield born helmut herzfeld broke with dada to espouse a higly politicized art. Brochures heartfields political art for the covers of brochures as a weapon against fascist dictators. Whether you get all judgy about book covers or not, the vintage dust.