Biografie Richard Paul Lohse
1902
Born 13 September in Zürich
1917
First realistic paintings
1918
Apprentice in graphic design at Max Dalang AG (until 1922);
studies at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Zürich under Ernst Keller
1922
Employed in the advertising studio of Max Dalang AG, where he meets Hans Neuburg and Anton Stankowski
1925
Still lifes, landscapes, cubist experimental paintings
1930
Establishes own graphic design studio in Zürich (1931-1934 with former Dalang co-worker Hans Trommer)
1933
Political support for emigrés;
illegal political activities until end of World War II;
co-founder of the Association of Independent Graphic Designers;
begins graphic design work for landscape architect Walter Mertens (until 1944)
1934
Studio and apartment in the Zett-Haus, Zürich, together with artist and gallerist Irmgard Burchard;
member of the association Friends of New Architecture
1935
Curvations
1936
Marriage to Irmgard Burchard (born 1908 in Zürich, died 1964 in Cairo);
participates in the exhibition "Zeitprobleme in der Schweizer Malerei", Kunsthaus Zürich
1937
Co-founder and vice-chairman of Allianz, Association of Modern Swiss Artists;
constructions
1938
Collaboration for the exhibition "Twentieth Century German Art", New Burlington Galleries, London, initiated by Irmgard Burchard;
installs a print exhibition of German and Russian constructivists in Zürich;
begins book design work for Büchergilde Gutenberg (until 1954)
1939
Divorce from Irmgard Burchard;
collaboration for the Swiss national exhibition "Landi", Zürich;
begins graphic design work for turbine builder Escher Wyss (until 1969)
1940
May: Destroys political documents and graphic design works;
sketches ideas of diagonal, vertical and horizontal structures;
co-editor and book designer of Almanac of New Art in Switzerland
1942
Marriage to Ida Alis Dürner (born 1907 in Uttwil, died 1989 in Zürich);
summer: Ida Alis travels to the camp in Gurs (France) to support persecuted people;
member of the Swiss Werkbund;
standardisation of the pictorial means: additive vertical series, objective rhythmic, serial structure systems, quantitative colour equality;
participates in the exhibition "Allianz", Kunsthaus Zürich
1943
First modular and serial systems
1944
Birth of daughter Johanna;
works on the publications abstrakt/konkret and Plan;
participates in the exhibition "Concrete Art", Kunsthalle, Basel
1946
Group thematics;
book design for Carola Giedion-Welcker, Poètes à l'Ecart – Anthologie der Abseitigen
1947
Organises with Leo Leuppi the exhibition "Concrete, Abstract, Surrealist Art in Switzerland", Kunstmuseum St. Gallen;
participates in the exhibition "Abstract and Concrete Art", Palazzo Exreale, Milano;
designer and editor of the architectural review Bauen+Wohnen / Building+Home (until 1956);
begins graphic design work for Wohnbedarf (until 1968)
1948
Organiser of the Swiss section in the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles, Paris (also 1950);
participates in the exhibition "Tendancies in Abstract Art", Galerie Denise René, Paris;
"Interrelations between Art and Architecture", a didactic concept for the Architecture Department of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich
1949
Swiss Prize for Painting;
attends the CIAM conference, Bergamo
1951
Organises with Sigfried Giedion the Swiss section at the "International Water Color Exhibition" Brooklyn, New York;
participates in the 1st Biennale, São Paulo;
book design for Sigfried Giedion, CIAM – A Decade of New Architecture;
at the 9th Triennale, Milano the review Bauen+Wohnen is awarded the prize "Compasso d'Oro"
1952
"World Exhibition of Photography", Lucerne – thematic design of the sections Art & Photography and Architecture & Photography
1953
Author and book designer of New Design in Exhibitions;
contributes to the review spirale
1954
Founding member of the artists’ and architects’ association espace, groupe suisse;
leading positions in the Swiss Werkbund (until 1966)
1957
Mural Three equal themes in five colours for the Swiss Pavilion at the 11th Milan Triennale, architect Alfred Roth (mural now in the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich);
first one-person exhibition, Club Bel Etage, Zürich
1958
Edits the review Neue Grafik / New Graphic Design, Olten, with Josef Müller-Brockmann, Hans Neuburg and Carlo Vivarelli (until 1965)
1959
Editor of publication Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart on the occasion of his 60th birthday
1960
Retrospective exhibition, Kunstverein Ulm
1961
Retrospective exhibition, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
1962
Member of the Exhibition Commission of the Kunsthaus, Zürich (until 1970)
1964
Mural Horizontal rhythm of two themes at the Wier housing estate, Ebnat-Kappel, architect Thomas Schmid
1965
Represents Switzerland at the 8th Biennale in São Paulo
1967
Wall design Four revolving door elements, Paradies-Lenggis school, Jona-Rapperswil, architect Kurt Federer (extended to eight elements in 1971)
1968
Participates in the documenta 4, Kassel
1969
Assists in the creation of the McCrory Corporation Collection, New York (until 1975)
1971
Sikkens Prize of the Netherlands;
one-person exhibition, Moderna Museet, Stockholm
1972
Represents Switzerland at the 36th Biennale, Venezia
1973
Art Prize of the City of Zürich. With the prize money of 12,000 Swiss Francs, Lohse acquires works by 13 young Swiss constructive artists and donates them to the Kunsthaus Zürich;
monograph Richard Paul Lohse, DuMont, Köln
1975
Appeal to the French Minister of Culture, André Malraux, for the renovation of the Villa Savoie of Le Corbusier (with the SWB and BSA);
exhibition "Modular and Serial Orders", Kunsthalle Düsseldorf (1976 Kunsthaus Zürich)
1977
"World Print Competition 77" prize, San Francisco;
honorary member of "Group of Systematic-Constructive Art", Gorinchem, Netherlands
1978
Exhibition "9 Squares", Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, Netherlands
1982
Participates in the documenta 7, Kassel with Thematic series in 18 colours A, B and C;
mural Complementary colour series for the reading room of the Canton Zürich State Archive, architects Jakob Schilling, Claudia Bersin;
honoured by the City of Zürich on 80th birthday
1983
Appeal to Jack Lang, French Minister of Culture, for the renovation of the Aubette, Strasbourg
1986
One-person exhibition, Vienna Secession, and honorary member of the Vienna Secession
1987
Appointed Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters of the French Republic by the Minister of Culture, Jack Lang;
honoured by the City of Zürich on 85th birthday;
establishes the Richard Paul Lohse Foundation, Zürich
1988
Painting Grenoble 1788, commissioned by the French State to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution in Grenoble in 1788;
retrospective exhibition at the Musée de Grenoble;
died 16 September in Zürich