Literary publishing house founded by book dealer Gustav Kiepenheuer in 1909. Initially issued classic texts in bibliophile series; in the later 1910s focused on contemporary literature, and published some prints and illustrated books by artists affiliated with the Weimar Art School (Weimarer Kunstschule). In January 1917 brought out monthly periodical, Das Kunstblatt (The art paper), with respected art critic and cultural journalist Paul Westheim as editor; from February 1917 to October 1920 each issue featured a print by a leading Expressionist artist. Goals were to encourage print collecting, support young artists, and offer a platform for contemporary art and architectural and literary criticism. With Westheim commissioning texts from important art critics and Expressionist writers, and Kiepenheuer maintaining lavish production values, competed openly with Der Sturm for position as leading Expressionist journal. From 1918 to 1922, published the periodical in portfolio form, Die Schaffenden (The creators), a quarterly with ten signed prints by various artists per issue. Also published artists' monographs and an illustrated book series, Graphische Bücher. For largely financial reasons was forced to transfer Die Schaffenden and Das Kunstblatt to different publishers by 1923 and in 1925, respectively. Relocated to Potsdam in the fall of 1918 and then to Berlin in 1929. Censored in 1933, then closed in 1944 by the Nazi regime. Reestablished in 1946, still exists as an imprint of a larger publishing group.

Selected Bibliography

Berger, Friedemann, and Beate Jahn, eds. Die Schaffenden: Eine Auswahl der Jahrgänge I bis III und Katalog des Mappenwerkes. Leipzig and Weimar: Kiepenheuer; and Berlin: Publica Verlagsgesellschaft, 1984.

Windhöfel, Lutz. Paul Westheim und das Kunstblatt. Cologne: Böhlau, 1995.