Polytekton

Hertwig Polytekton

A biography about the graphic designer Max Hertwig who worked at the beginning of the 20th century with and for such masters of design as Peter Behrens, Walter Gropius, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Chamelion- and Zelig-like he happened to be in the right places at the right time without getting much attention for his substantial contributions to the discipline and profession of graphic design. This book, by Hertwig's grandson C. Arthur Croyle-a well-known illustrator and painter-provides a comprehensive and exhaustive study of Hertwig's amazing, yet almost forgotten work. Croyle's story of Hertwig serves as a vehicle to chronicle the events, movements, and people who impacted art and design during the culturally and politically dynamic era in the early part of the 20th century. Hertwig's professional activities intersect with Peter Behrens, Walter Gropius, and Mies van der Rohe, among other bright stars of architecture, graphic design, and art, and includes participation in landmark design work for such companies as AEG (General Electric Company of Germany) and the Fagus Factory, design initiatives that preceded and shaped the foundation for the Bauhaus philosophy.