Walter Maria Kersting

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Walter Maria Kersting , often Walter M. Kersting (* July 8, 1892 in Münster , † May 5, 1970 in Waging am See ) was a German architect , industrial designer and professor for artistic and technical design in Cologne.

life and work

The son of an architect studied mechanical engineering at the TH Hannover from 1911 to 1915 and became a member of the Deutscher Werkbund in 1917 . In 1924 Kersting opened his freelance studio in Hanover. In 1920 he founded the Association of German Commercial Graphics and was appointed to his institute by Richard Riemerschmid (the professor and director of the Cologne factory schools ).

The telephone model "E" designed for the company Telefonbau und Normalzeit

From 1927 to 1932 he was professor for artistic and technical design. In 1928 Kersting published the picture book for merchants , an advertising primer that presented numerous catalogs, posters and packaging designed by him and his wife in a simple, objective style. Kersting has with his students the prototype of Bakelite housing as well the popular receiver designed VE 301, presented at the Berlin Radio Exhibition 1933 and later due to the distinctive shape and high quantities and most famous design subject of the Nazi era was.

In 1933 the Werkschulen were restructured and Kersting moved to Düsseldorf as a graphics professor at the art academy . Early retirement from the Nazis in 1942, Kersting founded the Kersting model making workshops in Waging (Upper Bavaria) with his sons Gerwald and Arno after the Second World War . Among other things, this resulted in the telephone for the Europa Series E designed by his son Arno Kersting for the company “ Telefonbau und Normalzeit ” with the first telephone housing made from a thermoplastic. In 1964, examples of his work were shown at documenta III in Kassel in the Industrial Design department .

At the 1948 export fair, Kersting presented what was probably the first draft of a model railway on a scale of 1: 180, which never went into series production. In addition to his achievements in industrial design , Kersting is therefore also considered to be a pioneer of the N- scale model railway on a scale of 1: 160, which later became popular .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "Design history (s)" by Winfried Altmayer - Prof. Walter M. Kersting the first teacher - BoD Google-Book on Demand, 2012, pp. 17–77
  2. ↑ Nature and Technology , edition 23/1949, pp. 323-325.
  3. ↑ MIBA model railways 10/1964.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Kersting, Walter Maria
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kersting, Walter M.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German architect and industrial designer
DATE OF BIRTH July 8, 1892
PLACE OF BIRTH Muenster
DATE OF DEATH May 5th 1970
Place of death Waging by the lake