Hans Möller

Biography

Paintings, publicity, tapestries. Born 20 March 1905 in Wuppertal-Barmen. 1919-27: studied evenings at art schools. 1927-8: studied at Berlin Akademie. Dec. 1935: emigrated to USA. 1936-8: designer at Frank Gianninto & Associates, industrial designers. Later, as a freelance designer, he did much work for magazines and advertisers. From 1939: designed direct mail for the journals Time, Life and Fortune, and illustrated several Fortune covers, dividing his time between painting and his commercial work. 1942-76: paintings (initially highly influenced by Paul Klee) in numerous exhibitions and frequently reproduced in leading art journals. 1944: U.S. citizenship. 1944-56: taught painting and graphic design at Cooper Union art school, New York. 1944: Award for Distinctive Merit, Art Director’s Annual. Mid 1950s: produced designs for a stained glass window and tapestries. 1968: moved his studio from New York to Allentown, Pennsylvania.. Died 2000 in Allentown.

Writings about

  • Valerie Livingston, Hans Moller. Purveyor of color, 2001.
  • Art News: 1 March 1942 (p. 30), Feb. 1943 (p. 28), Aug. 1943 (p. 20), Nov. 1943 (p. 23)
  • Art Digest: Feb. 1943 (p. 27), Nov. 1943 (p. 26), Oct. 1945 (p. 16), Feb 1947 (p. 17)
  • ‘A.B.L.’, Moller: Efficient fantasy’, Art News, 15-31 Oct. 1945, p. 20
  • Craft Horizons, Nov./Dec. 1953, p. 10 (stained glass window)
  • Gloria Finn, ‘“Artist’s Accent” collection’ (rug design), Craft Horizons, Sept. 1954, pp. 22-7, cover and p. 3
  • ‘Designing for the patron church’, American Fabrics, Fall 1958, pp. 62-3
  • Who was who in American art (Peter Hastings Falk, ed.), Madison, CT: Sound View Press, 1985
  • H.K. Frenzel, ‘Hans Möller’, Gebrauchsgraphik (International Advertising Art), Berlin: Phönix Illustrationsdruck und Verlag GmbH (later: ‘Gebrauchsgraphik’ Druck und Verlag GmbH), 1933-71. Published from Munich from 1950., Dec. 1935, pp. 54-7
  • International Biographical Dictionary of Central European Emigrés 1933-45, Munich, New York, London, Paris: K.G. Saur, 1983., 1983 (lists bibliography, exhibitions, awards)

Exhibitions

  • University of Michigan, 1945
  • Art Institute of Chicago, 1943, 1946
  • Bonestell Gallery, New York, 1943
  • Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1944, 1946
  • Chicago Academy, 1945
  • Kleemann Gallery, New York, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950
  • Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 1946
  • Whitney Museum of American Art, 1946
  • Borgenicht Gallery, New York, 1951, 1953, 1954
  • Landry Gallery, New York, 1962
  • Midtown Gallery, New York, 1964, 1976
  • Art Museum, Allentown, PA, 1969, Oct. 1993-Jan. 1994
  • Lore Degenstein Gallery, Susquehanna University, PA, 2001 (then to German House Gallery, New York, 2002).

Collections

  • see IBD, 1983.