Walter A. Peterhans

About the Artist

Grete Stern. Walter Peterhans. 1927. Gelatin silver print, 8 7/8 x 6 1/2" (22.5 x 16.5 cm). Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin. © Galería Jorge MaraLa Ruche

Meeting Points

Cultural Hubs Berlin
Photo Industry Hubs Dresden
Schools Bauhaus, 1919–33
Levy Gallery, 1931–49
Exhibitions Film und Foto, 1929
Foto der Gegenwart, 1929
Publications Das deutsche Lichtbild, 1927–38
Foto-Auge, 1929

Artist Chronology

Childhood and adolescence	Peterhans's father, Andreas, is the director of Zeiss Ikon AG, giving the younger Peterhans an opportunity to experiment with his own cameras from a very early age At location: Walter A. Peterhans	Dresden
June 12, 1897	Born At location: Walter A. Peterhans	Frankfurt am Main
1916–19	Serves in the German army At location: Walter A. Peterhans	Germany
1919–20	Studies mechanical engineering at the Technische Hochschule At location: Walter A. Peterhans	Munich
1921–24	Studies mathematics and philosophy at the University of Göttingen At location: Walter A. Peterhans	Göttingen
1925–26	Studies photographic processes at the State Academy for Graphic Arts and Printing At location: Walter A. Peterhans	Leipzig
1927	Establishes his own photography studio; uses a Linhof camera At location: Walter A. Peterhans	Berlin
1928	Becomes a member of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Lichtbildner At location: Walter A. Peterhans	Berlin
1928–34	Publishes photographs in Das Deutsche Lichtbild, Gebrauchsgraphik, Die Form, Cahiers d'art, Gebrauchsfotografie—Das Atelier des Photographen, American Photographer, and Das Neue Frankfurt Contributor: Walter A. Peterhans	New York Paris Frankfurt Berlin Halle Stuttgart
February 12–March 5, 1928	Foto – Malerei – Architektur at Kunstschule Johannes Itten Participant: László Moholy-Nagy, Walter A. Peterhans, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Umbo (Otto Umbehr), Hannes Meyer	Berlin
March 25–May 6, 1928	Neue Wege der Photographie at Kunstverein Jena Participant: László Moholy-Nagy, Walter A. Peterhans, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Umbo (Otto Umbehr), Lucia Moholy	Jena
May–October 1928	Internationale Presse-Ausstellung des Deutschen Werkbund, aka "Pressa" Designer: Herbert Bayer, Max Burchartz, El Lissitzky Participant: El Lissitzky, Walter A. Peterhans	Cologne
1929	Franz Roh publishes Foto-Auge: 76 Fotos der Zeit Contributor: Herbert Bayer, Max Burchartz, Florence Henri, El Lissitzky, Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky), László Moholy-Nagy, Walter A. Peterhans, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Maurice Tabard, Umbo (Otto Umbehr), Edward Weston, Franz Roh, Semyon Fridlyand, Robert Petschow, Sasha Stone, Dziga Vertov, Hans Finsler, Paul Edmund Hahn, J. Jay Hirz	Stuttgart
January 20–February 17, 1929	Fotografie der Gegenwart at Museum Folkwang Kestner Gesellschaft v.V, Königstrasse 8, Hannover March 10–April 7, 1929 Galerie Neumann-Nierendorf, Lützowstrasse 32, Berlin April 20–May 20, 1929 Whitechapel Art Gallery, London June 6–29, 1929 Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt July 7–August 8, 1929 Leipziger Kunstverein, Augustusplatz 6, Leipzig August 18–September 8, 1929 Lichthof des Neuen Rathauses, Dresden September 15–October 6, 1929 Kunstverein, Rostock October 20-November 10, 1929 am Adolf-Mittag-See, Städtisches Ausstellungsamt, Magdeburg November 28–December 19, 1929 Landesgewerbeanstalt, Kaiserslautern February 23–March 23, 1930 Vereinigung Göttinger Kunstfreunde, Göttingen May 18–June 8, 1930 Participant: Berenice Abbott, Herbert Bayer, Aenne Biermann, Max Burchartz, Florence Henri, Lotte Jacobi, André Kertész, Germaine Krull, El Lissitzky, Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky), László Moholy-Nagy, Walter A. Peterhans, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Hans Richter, August Sander, Umbo (Otto Umbehr), Lucia Moholy, Karl Blossfeldt, Erich Comeriner, Eli Lotar, Oskar Nerlinger, Robert Petschow, Frieda Gertrud Riess, Sasha Stone, Hans Finsler, Paul Edmund Hahn, Cami Stone	Essen
April 1929–1932	Appointed first head of the photography department at the Bauhaus At location: Walter A. Peterhans	Dessau
April 1929–1932	Uses 13 x 18 cm and 9 x 12 cm cameras in teaching At location: Walter A. Peterhans	Dessau
May–July 1929	Gas und Wasser exhibition of photomontages and photographs from Bauhaus Dessau Designer: Georg Muche, Heinz Loew Participant: Walter A. Peterhans, Sasha Stone	Dessau
May 18–July 7, 1929	Internationale Ausstellung des Deutschen Werkbunds Film und Foto (FiFo) at Städtische Ausstellungshallen Kunstgewerbemuseum, Zurich August 28–September 22, 1929 Im Lichthof des Ehemaligen Kunstgewerbemuseums, Prinz-Albrechs-Strasse 7, Berlin October 19–November 17, 1929 Stadtmuseum, Danzig (dates unknown) Österreichisches Museum, Vienna February 20–March 31, 1930 Agram, Zagreb April 5–14, 1930 Münchner Bund/Verein Ausstellungspark München E.V. (as part of Internationale Ausstellung. Das Lichtbild), Munich June 5–September 7, 1930 Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo April 1931 Asahi Shimbun, Osaka July 1–7, 1931 Participant: Berenice Abbott, Herbert Bayer, Aenne Biermann, Anton Bruehl, Francis Bruguière, Max Burchartz, Florence Henri, André Kertész, Germaine Krull, Helmar Lerski, El Lissitzky, Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky), László Moholy-Nagy, Walter A. Peterhans, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Hans Richter, Aleksandr Rodchenko, Charles Sheeler, Edward Steichen, Maurice Tabard, Umbo (Otto Umbehr), Edward Weston, Lucia Moholy, Werner Rohde, George Hoyningen-Huene, Gustav Klutsis, Karl Blossfeldt, Heinz Loew, Erich Comeriner, Semyon Fridlyand, Roman Karmen, Eli Lotar, Oskar Nerlinger, Robert Petschow, Sasha Stone, Dziga Vertov, Yva (Else Simon), Willy Zielke, Irene Bayer-Hecht, Hans Finsler, Cami Stone Organizer: El Lissitzky, László Moholy-Nagy, Hans Richter, Edward Steichen, Edward Weston, Dziga Vertov Visitor: Alexander Hackenschmied	Stuttgart
1930	Publishes the article "Zum gegenwärtigen Stand der Fotografie" in ReD Contributor: Walter A. Peterhans	Prague
Spring 1930–1932	Hajo Rose studies photography with Walter Peterhans and advertising at the Bauhaus At location: Walter A. Peterhans, Hajo Rose	Dessau
June–September 1930	Das Lichtbild exhibition Participant: Aenne Biermann, Bill Brandt, Max Burchartz, César Domela-Nieuwenhuis, Florence Henri, Lotte Jacobi, André Kertész, Germaine Krull, Helmar Lerski, Walter A. Peterhans, August Sander, Umbo (Otto Umbehr), Edward Weston, Lucia Moholy, Werner Rohde, Franz Roh, Marianne Breslauer, Alexander Hackenschmied, Edmund Kesting, Jean Moral, Willy Zielke, Lore Feininger, Hans Finsler	Munich
1930–32	Irene Hoffmann studies advertising with Joost Schmidt and photography with Walter Peterhans At location: Walter A. Peterhans, Irene Hoffmann	Dessau
1931	Exhibition at Delphic Studios Participant: Walter A. Peterhans	New York
1931	Jaromír Funke corresponds with and sends photographs to Walter Peterhans At location: Jaromír Funke Affiliated: Walter A. Peterhans	Prague
February 20–March 11, 1932	Modern European Photography at the Julien Levy Gallery Participant: Herbert Bayer, Florence Henri, André Kertész, László Moholy-Nagy, Roger Parry, Walter A. Peterhans, Maurice Tabard, Umbo (Otto Umbehr), Jacques-André Boiffard, Eli Lotar, Lee Miller	New York
1932–Spring 1933	Teaches at the Bauhaus At location: Walter A. Peterhans	Berlin
October 1932	Horacio Coppola meets Bauhaus student Grete Stern, who introduces him to Walter Peterhans At location: Walter A. Peterhans, Horacio Coppola	Berlin
1932–33	Irene Hoffmann studies advertising with Joost Schmidt and photography with Walter Peterhans At location: Walter A. Peterhans, Irene Hoffmann	Berlin
1932–March 1933	Hajo Rose studies photography with Walter Peterhans and advertising at the Bauhaus At location: Walter A. Peterhans, Hajo Rose	Berlin
Summer 1933–April 1934	Teaches at Werner Graff's photography school At location: Walter A. Peterhans	Berlin
November 7–19, 1933	Die Kamera. Ausstellung für Fotografie, Druck und Reproduktion at the exhibition halls of the radio tower Participant: Walter A. Peterhans, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Umbo (Otto Umbehr), Werner Rohde, Willy Zielke	Berlin
1934	Horacio Coppola's and Walter Peterhans's photographs are included in a series of "Nouvelles photographies" published in Cahiers d'art Contributor: Walter A. Peterhans, Horacio Coppola	Paris
1935–37	Teaches photography at the Reiman school (after 1936, called Kunst und Werk - Privatschule für Gestaltung) At location: Walter A. Peterhans	Berlin
1936	Was, Wann, Wie Vergrössern is published Contributor: Walter A. Peterhans	Halle
1938–60	Teaches courses in art history and analysis in the Department of Architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology At location: Walter A. Peterhans	Chicago
1942	Exhibition at The Art Institute of Chicago Participant: Walter A. Peterhans	Chicago
April 12, 1960	Dies At location: Walter A. Peterhans	Stetten am kalten Markt

Walther Photographs

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About the Artist

Meeting Points

Artist Chronology

Walther Photographs