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TOKYO METROPOLITAN TEIEN ART MUSEUM

Back to Modern − Graphic Design from West-Germany

Dates

Saturday, March 8 - Sunday, May 18, 2025

Hours

10AM 〜 6PM

（Last admission at 17:30） March 21, 22, 28, and 29 open until 20:00 (Last admission at 19:30)
Venue
Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Main Building & Annex
Closed
Mondays (except May 5), May 7
Exhibition admission
Online reservation is recommended for the exhibition. The reservation start date to be announced later.
Admission Tickets
Adults Group
Adults ￥1,400 ￥1,120
University students（Vocational students） ￥1,120 ￥890
Middle & high school students ￥700 ￥560
65 and above ￥700 ￥560
Back to Modern − Graphic Design from West-Germany Images
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The modernist design philosophy and innovative art education methods of the Bauhaus, established in Germany in 1919, had an enormous global influence until the school’s closure in 1933. After World War II ended in 1945, Germany was partitioned into East and West. In West Germany, the Ulm School of Design (1953-1968) was founded with the goal of carrying on the legacy and principles of the Bauhaus. Despite closing just 15 years later, the school significantly advanced design theory and practice, and left an enduring impact on design education.

By the late 1950s West Germany ranked second globally in GNP (Gross National Product), an achievement known as the “economic miracle,” and graphic design, inextricably related to commerce, is cited as a factor in this success. Graphic design was also instrumental in defining the visual identity of major national events, including the 1972 Munich Olympics, the international sailing festival Kiel Week (Kieler Woche), and the contemporary art exhibition Documenta, held once every four or five years in Kassel.

This exhibition features a variety of works from the A5 Collection Düsseldorf, formed by the Dusseldorf-based graphic designer Jens Müller and Katharina Sussek. There is a particular focus on posters, selected from the perspectives of geometric abstraction, illustration, photography, and typography, which are accompanied by an array of works including booklets and magazines. We invite you to explore the world of West German graphic design, which, while rooted in the educational principles of the Bauhaus and the Ulm School of Design, ventured into new creative territory in the postwar era.

A World-Class Collection Makes its Japan Debut

This exhibition presents a curated selection of excellent works from the A5 Collection Düsseldorf, on view in Japan for the first time. Formed by Jens Müller and Katharina Sussek, graphic designers based in Düsseldorf, this collection primarily focuses on postwar West German graphic design. It includes over 1,000 posters and more than 10,000 other items, and the still-growing collection offers a sweeping overview of West German graphic design in the postwar era.

This exhibition will feature approximately 125 posters, as well as a wide range of other items from the A5 Collection Düsseldorf.

Postwar West German Graphic Design

The modernist design philosophy and educational methods pioneered by the Bauhaus before World War II were carried on by the Ulm School of Design, in the West German city of Ulm, after the war. During a period when the Swiss style (International Typographic Style) and American design gained popularity and attention across most Western countries, West Germany pursued the advancement of design theories and practices that embraced modernism while also exploring intersections with science, philosophy, and sociology. The graphic design works that emerged in West Germany are infused with the energy and passion of designers who, despite the lingering scars of war on their homeland, ceaselessly advanced and shaped a new era.

Exploring West German Graphics through Elements of Design

This exhibition highlights the appeal of postwar West German graphic design by classifying works in four categories: Geometric Abstraction, Illustration, Photography, and Typography. At the same time, the items on view include those spanning multiple categories, such as works featuring hand-drawn typography. Visitors will be able to fully appreciate the innovative ideas, creativity, ingenuity, and experimental spirit of the designers, immersing themselves in the superb creations of designers active in West Germany such as Hans Hillmann, Otl Aicher, Heinz Edelmann, and Dorothea Fischer-Nosbisch and Fritz Fischer.

  • Dieter von Andrian, Exhibition, German Traffic Fair Munich 1953, 1953, poster, A5 collection Düsseldorf ©Heiresses of Dieter von Andrian

    Dieter von Andrian, Exhibition, <i>German Traffic Fair Munich 1953</i>, 1953, poster, A5 collection Düsseldorf ©Heiresses of Dieter von Andrian

  • Hans Hillmann, Kiel Week 1964, 1964, poster, A5 collection Düsseldorf ©Marlies Rosa-Hillmann

    Hans Hillmann, <i>Kiel Week 1964</i>, 1964, poster, A5 collection Düsseldorf ©Marlies Rosa-Hillmann

  • Celestino Piatti, dtv, 1965, poster, A5 collection Düsseldorf ©Celestino Piatti The Visual Heritage, Switzerland

    Celestino Piatti, <i>dtv</i>, 1965, poster, A5 collection Düsseldorf ©Celestino Piatti The Visual Heritage, Switzerland

  • Wolfgang Schmidt, Film, Capers, 1963, poster, A5 collection Düsseldorf

    Wolfgang Schmidt, <i>Film, Capers</i>, 1963, poster, A5 collection Düsseldorf

  • Wolfgang Schmidt, Exhibition, bauhaus idea form purpose time, 1964, poster, A5 collection Düsseldorf

    Wolfgang Schmidt, <i>Exhibition, bauhaus idea form purpose time</i>, 1964, poster, A5 collection Düsseldorf

Exhibition Title
Back to Modern − Graphic Design from West-Germany
Dates
Saturday, March 8 - Sunday, May 18, 2025
Venue

Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Main Building & Annex
5-21-9, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel 050-5541-8600

Closed
Mondays (except May 5), May 7
Opening times
10:00 - 18:00（Last admission at 17:30）
  • March 21, 22, 28, and 29 open until 20:00 (Last admission at 19:30)
Exhibition admission
Online reservation is recommended for the exhibition. The reservation start date to be announced later.
Adults ￥1,400 （￥1,120）
University students ￥1,120 （￥890）
Middle & high school students ￥700 （￥560）
65 and above ￥700 （￥560）

  1. Figures in parentheses are group admission fees (for groups of 20 or more)

  2. Admission is free for elementary and younger students and for middle school students residing in or attending school in Tokyo.

  3. Admission is free for visitors (and two accompanying persons) with a Physical Disability Certificate, Intellectual Disability Certificate, Rehabilitation Certificate, Mental Disability Certificate, or Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Certificate.

  4. Admission is free for teacher-led educational visits by Tokyo primary, junior high, and high school students.

  5. Admission is free for seniors (65 and above) on the third Wednesday of each month.

  6. Advance reservations and purchase of tickets online are required on April 23 and 30, 2025 for the “G(ALL)ERY Day”

Organized by
Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum
Special cooperation by
A5 Collection Düsseldorf
Nominal support of
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Japan, Goethe-Institut
Planning cooperation of
CURATORS INC. ART & ARCHITECTURE
With the annual co-sponsorship of
Toda Corporation, Bloomberg L.P., Van Cleef & Arpels

Leisurely Art Encounters (G(ALL)ERY Day)

Date/Time: Wednesday, April 23, 2025, 10:00 – 18:00 (Last admission at 17:30)

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Leisurely Art Encounters (G(ALL)ERY Day)

Baby Hours (G(ALL)ERY Day)

Date/Time: Wednesday, April 30,2025 10:00～15:00 (Stroller accessible hours)

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Baby Hours (G(ALL)ERY Day)

Baby Day

Monday, March 24, 2025 10:00〜15:00

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Baby Day