Theo Matejko

Biography

Posters, illustrations. Austrian. Born 13 June 1893 in Vienna. During World War I he was a war correspondent for the Leipziger Illustrierten Zeitung; after the war he designed press, theatre, film and political posters. 1920: moved from Vienna to Berlin. 1920-24: worked as poster artist, newspaper artist for the Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung. Designed many film posters, including for Dr Mabuse (1922), Der letzte Mann (1924) and De Mille’s Ten Commandments (1924). He later designed backgrounds for films.

From 1937: artist for the journal Die Wehrmacht. During World War II he worked at times as a war artist. ‘At the German publishing house which Ullstein had now become, they did not have the courage to take Matejko on again. The Party was not so squeamish and took him on at the magazine Die Wehrmacht. And so a man who was definitely not a Nazi in any aspect of his nature became one who had to do what he was asked to do.’ (Busch, pp. 100-101, tr. SM) 1945: shortly before the end of the war he fled to Berlin; from the end of 1945 he worked for the journal Homunculus in Bregenz. Died 9 October 1946 in Kufstein, Tyrol.

Writings by

  • Das Theo-Matejko-Buch. Zeichnungen als Aufzeichnungen aus zweieinhalb Jahrzehnten (autobiography), 1938.

Writings about

  • Walter F. Schubert, Die deutsche Werbegraphik, Berlin: Francke & Lang, 1927. , 1927
    • H. Hauschild, ‘Über politische Propaganda’, Buch- und Werbekunst, 1932, H3, pp. 68-83 and inset (tr. John Power), esp. inset p. IX
  • H. Hauschild, ‘Remarks on the technique of advertising an exhibition’, Buch- und Werbekunst, April 1934, pp. 100-107 plus 8 pp. supplement (TM in supplement)
  • Wilhelm M. Busch, ‘Erinnerungen an Berliner Pressezeichner Scheurich – Matejko – Koch-Gota’, Illustration 63, Nov. 1984, pp. 98-104
  • Brandon Taylor and Wilfried van der Will (eds.), The Nazification of Art, Winchester: The Winchester Press, Winchester School of Art, 1990, p. 198
  • www.hamburg.de/Behoerden/Kulturbehoerde/epoc/deutsch .
  • Wilhelm Meyer-My, ‘Theo Matejko’, Gebrauchsgraphik (International Advertising Art), Berlin: Phönix Illustrationsdruck und Verlag GmbH (later: ‘Gebrauchsgraphik’ Druck und Verlag GmbH), 1933-71. Published from Munich from 1950., Oct. 1934, pp. 2-27
  • Hellmut Rademacher, Das deutsche Plakat. Von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart, Dresden: VEB Verlag der Kunst, 1965., 1965, pp. 220, 230
  • Deutsche Biographische Enzyklopädie, Munich, London, New Providence: K.G. Saur 1995- (from 1997: Munich only)., 1997
    • H.K. Frenzel, ’25 years of [the] German poster’, Gebrauchsgraphik (International Advertising Art), Berlin: Phönix Illustrationsdruck und Verlag GmbH (later: ‘Gebrauchsgraphik’ Druck und Verlag GmbH), 1933-71. Published from Munich from 1950., 1925, no. 4, Jhrg. 2, pp. 1-46, esp. pp. 30, 41 H.K. Frenzel, ‘The political poster’, Gebrauchsgraphik (International Advertising Art), Berlin: Phönix Illustrationsdruck und Verlag GmbH (later: ‘Gebrauchsgraphik’ Druck und Verlag GmbH), 1933-71. Published from Munich from 1950., 1928, 8, pp. 44-55, esp. p. 50

Collections

  • Austrian National Library (posters)