# Oskar Schlemmer

> German painter, sculptor, designer and choreographer (1888–1943)

**Wikidata**: [Q458816](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q458816)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_Schlemmer)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/oskar-schlemmer

## Summary

Oskar Schlemmer was a German painter, sculptor, designer, and choreographer who lived from 1888 to 1943. He is best known for his association with the Bauhaus school, where he served as a university teacher and developed influential work in stage design and the visual arts.

## Biography

- **Born**: September 4, 1888
- **Died**: April 13, 1943
- **Nationality**: German (German Empire, Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany)
- **Education**: State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart
- **Known for**: Painting, sculpture, choreography, design, scenography, costume design, photography, graphic art, and puppetry
- **Employer(s)**: Bauhaus; State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart
- **Field(s)**: Painting, sculpture, design, choreography

## Contributions

Oskar Schlemmer contributed to multiple artistic disciplines as a painter, sculptor, designer, and choreographer. He authored librettos for operas and similar musical compositions. His work encompassed scenography, where he designed all visual aspects of stage productions, including scenery, properties, lighting, costume, and makeup. He also worked as a costume designer, creating costumes for film and stage productions, and as a graphic artist utilizing various drawing and print techniques. His role as a puppeteer involved manipulating puppets in real time to create the illusion of life.

## FAQs

**What was Oskar Schlemmer's profession?**
Oskar Schlemmer was a multi-disciplinary artist who worked as a painter, sculptor, designer, choreographer, university teacher, photographer, graphic artist, scenographer, costume designer, librettist, and puppeteer.

**Where did Oskar Schlemmer work?**
Schlemmer was affiliated with the Bauhaus school and the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart as a university teacher. He was also affiliated with the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts.

**What historical events did Oskar Schlemmer live through?**
Schlemmer lived through World War I and the existence of the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, and Nazi Germany.

## Why They Matter

Oskar Schlemmer matters for his multidisciplinary contributions to the arts, particularly his integration of visual arts with performance and stage design. His work at the Bauhaus school positioned him at the center of a pivotal movement in modern art and design history. By combining roles as diverse as choreographer, scenographer, and sculptor, he influenced the development of total art works that bridged multiple mediums. His teachings and artistic output during the Weimar Republic era contributed to a significant period of cultural innovation in Germany.

## Notable For

- German painter, sculptor, designer, and choreographer (1888–1943)
- University teacher at the Bauhaus school
- University teacher at the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart
- Scenographer designing all visual aspects of stage productions
- Librettist authoring words for operas and musical compositions
- Costume designer for film and stage
- Graphic artist and photographer
- Puppeteer creating live puppet performances

## Body

### Early Life and Education

Oskar Schlemmer was born on September 4, 1888, in the German Empire. He received his education at the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart, a university in Stuttgart, Germany, which was founded in 1761.

### Career and Affiliations

Schlemmer held positions as a university teacher at several institutions. He was affiliated with the Bauhaus, a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, founded in 1919. He also taught at the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart. Additionally, he was affiliated with the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts, an educational institution in Wrocław, Poland, founded in 1946.

### Artistic Occupations and Fields

Schlemmer's career encompassed a wide range of artistic disciplines. He worked as a painter, practicing the application of paint, pigment, or color to a surface. As a sculptor, he specialized in the art of sculpture, a branch of the visual arts operating in three dimensions. He was a choreographer, creating choreographies in the art of arranging movements. His work as a designer involved the creation of plans or conventions for the construction of objects or systems.

He served as a scenographer, designing all visual aspects of stage productions, including scenery, properties, lighting, costume, and makeup. As a costume designer, he designed costumes for film, stage productions, or television shows. He worked as a graphic artist, making lines on paper through various drawing and print techniques. He was also a photographer, taking photographs, and a puppeteer, manipulating puppets in real time. As a librettist, he authored the libretto (words) of an opera or similar extended musical composition.

### Historical Context

Schlemmer lived during three distinct German political periods. He was born in the German Empire (1871–1918), a constitutional monarchy with a federal structure. He lived through World War I (1914–1918), a global war originating in Europe. He worked during the Weimar Republic (1918/1919–1933), the period of Germany following the German Empire. He died during the era of Nazi Germany (1933–1945), the period when Germany was under the control of the Nazi Party.

### Death

Oskar Schlemmer died on April 13, 1943, at the age of 54.

### Identifiers and Legacy

Schlemmer is documented in numerous databases and cataloging systems. His Wikidata identifier is Q76228, and his Wikipedia title is "Oskar Schlemmer." He has 39 sitelinks. His identifiers include VIAF (ID: 9910342), ISNI (ID: 0000000110377598), GND (ID: 118608088), and many others across international library and cultural heritage systems. His signature is preserved as "Unterschrift Oskar Schlemmer deutscher Maler, Bildhauer und Bühnenbildner.png." A photograph of Schlemmer by Hugo Erfurth from 1920 is also archived.

## References

1. Integrated Authority File
2. Great Russian Encyclopedia
3. BnF authorities
4. Museum of Modern Art online collection
5. Czech National Authority Database
6. The Fine Art Archive
7. Letterboxd
8. bauhaus.community
9. International Standard Name Identifier
10. Japan Search
11. CiNii Research
12. [Source](https://kalliope-verbund.info/DE-611-BF-16371)
13. [Source](https://kalliope-verbund.info/DE-611-BF-2509)
14. [Source](https://kalliope-verbund.info/DE-611-BF-11669)
15. Encyclopædia Britannica Online
16. Le Delarge
17. Luminous-Lint
18. Kunstindeks Danmark
19. RKDartists
20. Benezit Dictionary of Artists
21. Brockhaus Enzyklopädie
22. Schlemmer, Oskar
23. Croatian Encyclopedia
24. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
25. Virtual International Authority File
26. [Source](https://www.documenta.de/en/retrospective/documenta)
27. [Source](https://www.documenta.de/en/retrospective/ii_documenta)
28. [Source](https://www.documenta.de/en/retrospective/documenta_iii)
29. Museum of Modern Art
30. DACS register
31. [Oskar Schlemmer](https://www.stedelijk.nl/nl/collectie/67765-oskar-schlemmer-oskar-schlemmer)
32. [Grosser Kopf und Akt, Silberfries I](https://www.stedelijk.nl/nl/collectie/8521-oskar-schlemmer-grosser-kopf-und-akt-silberfries-i)
33. Virtual Study of Theatre Institute
34. [Source](https://pacscl.exlibrisgroup.com:48994/F/?func=find-b&request=000211810&find_code=SYS)
35. [Source](https://library.nga.gov/permalink/01NGA_INST/1cl1g8d/alma99818993504896)
36. performing-arts.ch
37. Media Library for Dance and Theatre