Peter Behrens
Three of the most important architects of the twentieth century worked in Behrens's office at the same time. Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier were all employed there before 1912, each absorbing a lesson in how design could operate at industrial scale. Behrens himself was designing everything for AEG, the German electrical giant: the logo, the typefaces, the catalogue, the stationery, the electric fans, the kettles, the street lamps, the factory buildings. He invented corporate identity.
Biography
He was born in Hamburg in 1868, studied fine arts there and in Dusseldorf, and moved to Munich in 1897 during the German arts and crafts revival. He was a founding member of the Deutscher Werkbund in 1907, the organisation that sought to unite art and industry. That same year AEG hired him as artistic consultant. His AEG Turbine Hall in Berlin (1909), a glass and steel structure with an exposed industrial aesthetic, became one of the first buildings of modern architecture.
Beyond AEG, his architectural work ranged from private houses to embassies to factories. In 1922 he became head of the architecture school at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. He designed "New Ways" in Northampton (1926), considered the first modernist house in Britain, nineteen years after founding the Werkbund to compete with British design. In 1928 he won a competition for a synagogue in Zilina, Slovakia, which survived the war and was restored as a cultural centre.
His later career was compromised by association with the Nazi regime; he participated in Albert Speer's plans for Berlin with a commission for new AEG headquarters. He died in Berlin in 1940, at seventy-one.
Timeline
- 1868Born in Hamburg, Germany. He studied painting in Hamburg, Dusseldorf, and Karlsruhe from 1886 to 1889.
- 1893At 25, co-founded the Munich Secession, aligning himself with the progressive art movements of the era.
- 1899Aged 31, accepted an invitation from Grand Duke Ernst-Ludwig of Hesse to join the Darmstadt Artists' Colony, where he designed and built his own Jugendstil house.
- 1907At 39, became a founding member of the Deutscher Werkbund and began his pioneering work as artistic consultant to AEG in Berlin, effectively inventing the concept of corporate design.
- 1909Aged 41, completed the AEG Turbine Factory in Berlin, widely regarded as a landmark of early modernist architecture. Walter Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, and Le Corbusier all worked in his studio during this period.
- 1922At 54, appointed head of the architecture school at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, a position he held until 1936.
- 1940Died aged 71 at the Hotel Bristol in Berlin.
Notable Works
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Related Artists
Frequently Asked Questions
Peter behrens was noted as?
Peter Behrens is noted as a founding member of the Deutscher Werkbund in 1907; this organisation sought to unite art and industry. In 1922, he became head of the architecture school at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna.What was peter behrens known for?
Peter Behrens is known for inventing corporate identity. He designed everything for AEG, a German electrical company, including the logo, typefaces, catalogue, stationery, electric fans, kettles, street lamps and factory buildings.Who is peter behrens?
Peter Behrens was an architect and designer who employed Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Le Corbusier in his office before 1912. He was a founding member of the Deutscher Werkbund and, in 1907, became artistic consultant for AEG.Peter behrens famous works?
One of Peter Behrens's famous works is the AEG Turbine Hall in Berlin, constructed in 1909. He also designed "New Ways" in Northampton (1926), considered the first modernist house in Britain, and won a competition for a synagogue in Zilina, Slovakia, in 1928.Who was peter behrens?
Peter Behrens was an architect and designer born in Hamburg in 1868. He is known for his work with AEG and for employing some of the most important architects of the twentieth century in his office.
Sources
Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Peter Behrens.
- [1] museum Art Institute of Chicago Used for: museum holdings.
- [2] book Charlotte Ashby, Art nouveau _ art, architecture and design in transformation Used for: biography, stylistic analysis.
- [3] book Charlotte Ashby, Art nouveau _ art, architecture and design in transformation_1 Used for: biography, stylistic analysis.
- [4] book Charlotte Ashby, Art nouveau _ art, architecture and design in transformation_2 Used for: biography, stylistic analysis.
- [5] book guggenheim-kandinskyinmunic00kand Used for: biography.
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