Hermann Muthesius

Lifetime

1861–1927

Country

Germany

Hermann Muthesius was born on 20 April 1861 in Großneuhausen near Weimar, the son of a master bricklayer, under whom he learned the trade. After passing his school-leaving examination and completing a year of military service, during which he attended lectures in art history and philosophy at the University of Berlin, he studied architecture at Technische Hochschule Charlottenburg (Charlottenburg Technical University). Until 1891, he worked in Tokyo for the Berlin-based firm Ende & Böckmann, then in the design office of the Prussian building administration.

In 1896, he was sent to the German Embassy in London as attaché for technical and cultural affairs. There he studied English architecture and arts and crafts, resulting in the three-volume work “Das englische Haus” (1904–1905). After returning, he worked at the Prussian Ministry of Trade, where he was involved in reforming arts and crafts and vocational schools until his retirement in 1926.

In 1907, his lecture at the Berlin Handelshochschule (School of Commerce) provoked protests from manufacturers’ associations, and the response to these contributed to the founding of Deutscher Werkbund, established in Munich in October 1907. Until 1916, he was the association’s second chairman. At the 1914 congress in Cologne, he presented his ideas on standardisation, which Henry van de Velde strongly opposed; the dispute nearly led to a split in Werkbund.

He designed numerous country houses inspired by English models, mainly in Berlin, including his own house in Nikolassee (1906–1907), Landhaus Freudenberg (1907–1908) and Haus Bredow in Dahlem (1913–1914), as well as terraced houses in the garden city of Hellerau and the main building of the radio station in Nauen (1917–1920). He died on 26 October 1927 in Berlin following a tram accident while inspecting a construction site in Steglitz.