Herbert Rösler

Herbert Rösler
Herbert Rösler, 2004
Born	(1924-07-15)July 15, 1924 Stuttgart, Germany
Died	November 11, 2006(2006-11-11) (aged 82) Tübingen, Germany
Nationality	German
Known for	Painting, sculpture, fashion, architecture

Herbert Rösler (June 15, 1924 – November 11, 2006) was a German artist, writer and designer. He worked as a painter, graphic designer, sculptor, developed models for futuristic architecture, designed clothes, furniture and handcrafted jewelry. Furthermore, he is also known as founder of the Christian work- and housing-community Gruppe 91 (Group 91), their beliefs and lifestyle have similarities to the Jesus movement. Rösler was the creative and spiritual guidance for this community from their beginning in 1968 to the date of his passing in 2006. Artworks of Rösler are on permanent display in the exhibition hall G91-Bau in Tübingen. Besides their cultural engagement, Rösler and his group were also committed to many social projects.

Herbert Rösler was born as the youngest of three children. His father came from Neutrebbin and was a certified forester and estate manager, his mother was from Franconia. Around 1938 he began training as a technical merchant for his first employment.

By the age of 18 he voluntarily joined the military and was stationed with a tank battalion in Africa. As a prisoner of war he was brought to the United States where he had to work on the field and in the woods, in his free time he began with drawing. Along with other detained soldiers he was dismissed in France where he and his group were captured and imprisoned again. In 1948 he managed to escape and made his way back to Germany. Rösler was changed by the war and from there on considered himself as a pacifist.

After the war, he worked as a decorator for Polydor, designed movie posters for local cinemas and started his own advertising agency. In 1948 he met Ischabell Nadler (* 5. März 1930; † 13. März 2015), they married in 1951 and had two children. Rösler moved from Stuttgart to Cologne in 1960 where he became head of the set design department for the record label Electrola. As part of this job he was in charge of the stage arrangements for a Maria Callas Tournee, the Ansbach Bach Week, the Bayreuth Festival and the German Schlager-Festival in Baden-Baden. During his time in Cologne, Rösler met Wolf Vostell who was also working for the Electrola as a cover art designer. After a few years in the Electrola around 1964, Rösler and an associate bought an old candy-factory which they renovated as a studio for advertisement photography. In 1966 Rösler suffered a stroke and the studio was sold again. After his recovery he worked as a freelancing graphic designer, caricaturist, exhibition architect and was responsible for the pagination of the German Physicians Journal.