Joseph Fenneker

Biography

Film posters, publicity, set designs. Born 6 December 1895 in Bocholt (Westphalia). 1918-21: Studied in Münster, Dusseldorf, Munich, Meisterschüler of Emil Orlik in Kunstgewerbemuseum, Berlin. 1918-34: posters for the film industry and theatres: became one of the most well-known poster designers of the period. Illustrated for the journals Simplicissimus and Jugend, fashion journals and the Berliner Tageblatt. 1932-54: designed set designs for theatres such as Duisburg Opera, Berlin Schiller Theatre. After 1945 he produced his last posters; worked in the theatre (State Opera, Vienna; Komischen Oper, East Berlin, and at Vienna and Stockholm). From 1952 until his death he was production director at the Frankfurt a.M. State Theatre, and guest director at other theatres including La Scala, Milan. Died 9 January 1956 in Frankfurt a.M.

Writings about

  • Walter von Zur Westen, ‘Notentitel’, Das Plakat, March 1921, pp. 146-74, esp. pp. 146-7 (JF also designed the cover)
  • Vollmer, 1961
  • Gero Gandert (intro.), Josef Fenneker. Cinema posters from the Weimar Republic (exh. cat.), Munich: Goethe Institute, 1986 (German and English)
  • www.hamburg.de/Behoerden/Kulturbehoerde/epoc/deutsch
  • Hellmut Rademacher, Deutsche Plakatkunst und ihre Meister, Hanau: Verlag Werner Dausien, 1965., 1965, p. 30 and illust.
  • Deutsche Biographische Enzyklopädie, Munich, London, New Providence: K.G. Saur 1995- (from 1997: Munich only)., 1996
  • ‘Joseph Fenneker’ (film posters), Gebrauchsgraphik (International Advertising Art), Berlin: Phönix Illustrationsdruck und Verlag GmbH (later: ‘Gebrauchsgraphik’ Druck und Verlag GmbH), 1933-71. Published from Munich from 1950., April 1935, pp. 2-11
  • Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon, Munich/Leipzig: K.G. Saur Verlag, 1990-., 2003

Exhibitions

  • Gallery Wasmuth, Berlin, 1952
  • Goethe Institute, Munich, 1986
  • extensive list in AKL.

Collections

  • Stiftung Deutsche Kinemathek.