Welcome to  a detailed Time Line of John Heartfield's Life. Peruse the events that shaped this photomontoge master's life. Click on the camera1.gif (1007 bytes) buttons to see visual images of the people, places and events that shaped his life.

Formative Years  

1891

June 19 birth of Helmut "Muti" Herzfeld in Berlin-Schmargendorfto Franz Herzfeld (Franz Held) camera1.gif (1007 bytes)and Alice née Stolzénberg camera1.gif (1007 bytes)


1895

Franz Herzfeld, Alice and the family flee Germany to escape a prison sentence for blasphemy . They enter Switzerland but are quickly expelled, and they move to Austria.

1899  

Helmut, his brother Wielandcamera1.gif (1007 bytes), and two sisters camera1.gif (1007 bytes) are abandoned by their parents. Leaving 8 year old Helmut the eldest boy to look after his brother and two sisters.

1905  

Starts an apprenticeship in a bookshop in Wiesbaden. (finishes elementary school)

1908 

Studies at the Königliche-Bayerische Kunstgewerbeschule in Munich. (This was an applied art school)


1912

Begins working for Druckerei Gebruder Bauer, a printing Company in Mannheim.

" Helmut designs his first book cover for the "Selected Works" of his father Franz Held.

1913

Moves to Berlin to study at the Kunst- und Handwerkerschule (arts and Crafts school

World War I and the Seeds of Protest

1914

War breaks out and at age 23 Helmut is called up to serve the military in the Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Regiment, a Guards regiment stationed in Berlin.

Gets to know the artists and poets around the old Café des Westens (painter- Ludwig Meidner, poets - Theodor Daubler, Johannes R. Becher, and Max Herrmann-Neisse.)

Wieland his brother joins the army as a medical orderly, and is sent to a field hospital on the Belgian front.

1915 

Being threatened by a transfer to the frontline, Helmut at the encouragement of his friends simulates a nervous breakdown. He is released by the military and was made an auxiliary postman.

Wieland hits a sergeant on Christmas Eve and one month later was sent back to Berlin labeled as "unfit to wear the Kaiser's uniform".

During the summer, Helmut and Wieland develop a friendship with the 22 yr. old artist-poet from Holland named George Gross

1916  

Summer: Helmut Herzfeld changes his name to John Heartfield in protest
against the nationalistic slogan "Gott Strafe England!" (May God Punish England!) At the same time his brother Wieland changes his name to Wieland Herzfelde, and Georg Gross changes his name to George Grosz.


John Heartfield and his brother Wieland founded the publishing company "Neue Jugend" (New Youth) Actually they took over this obscure monthly which already had a police licence and a paper allocation. They ran this paper for one year.

1917

Heartfield and his brother start the Malik-Verlag. (a publishing house) primarily set up for the publication of George Grosz's lithographs.

Works as a film set designer for the Grünbaum brothers.

Helps Erwin Piscator with some theatrical staging

Works as Director of the Military Educational Film Service (later called the
UFA.)

Marries Helene Balzer  who camera1.gif (1007 bytes) became his first wife.

1918

Becomes a member of the Berlin Club Dada

Son Tom is born

Dec 30th Heartfield joins the German Communist Party or the (KPD) Wieland
George Grosz, and Erwin Piscator also join with him.

1919

Is dismissed from the UFA after calling for a strike following the murders of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht.

Becomes Co-editor of the of a satirical periodical called Jedermann sein eigner FuB

ball (Everyone His Own Football) This periodical was banned after the first issue.

Heartfield with brother Wieland and George Grosz found the political satiric magazine Die Pleite

1920

Heartfield , Grosz and Raoul Haussman organized the Erste Internationale Dada - Messe (The first International Dada Fair) in Berlin

Produces set designs for Erwin Piscator's Proletarisches Theater (Proletarian Theatre) in Berlin

  Birth of daughter Eva

Photography as a Weapon

1921 - 1922

Designs covers and jackets for the Malik-Verlag's "little revolutionary
library".

  Worked as a designer at the Rheinhardt's Deutsches Theater and its
Kammerspiele.

1923

Heartfield becomes editor and designer of the KPD founded magazine
Der Knüppel and the KPD's periodical Die Rote Fahne.

1924 - 1926

First encounter with Bertolt Brecht. Founds the RotteGruppe (Red
Group) with George Grosz , Rudolf Schlichter , and Erwin Piscator.

1927

Marries Barbara Friedmann. Becomes a set designer for the Piscator theatre (Theater am Nollendorfplatz)

1928

Produces montage "The Hand Has 5 Fingers - Beat the Enemy with "5"
Vote List 5" for the 1928 Reichstag Elections.

1929

Heartfield displays 110 frames at the International Werkbund
exhibition Film Und Foto in Stuttgart.

Turns down offers from 3 major industrial firms to be their advertising
director.

Kurt Tucholsky writes text to Heartfield's photos and photomontages for the publishing company Neuer Deutsher Verlag

Heartfield creates the montage of himself as the monteur slicing off the head of the head of Zörgiebel Berlin's elderly SPD police chief. This work was part of a page that Heartfield headed "USE PHOTOGRAPHY AS A WEAPON"

1930

Works regularly for the Arbeiter-Illustrierte- Zeitung (AIZ) (Workers' Illustrated Newspaper) 1931 -32 Travels to the USSR. Lectures , and gives lessons supported by the newspaper "USSR in Construction".

One Man's War Against  Hitler

1933

Flees with his brother Wieland to Czechoslovakia from Germany after the start of the facist dictatorship. Continues working for the
AIZ and the Malik -Verlag in Prague.

1934

Participates in the international caricature exhibition in Prague. This event stirs up more trouble between Czechoslovakia and Germany.

1935

Lives in Paris March through August.

Kurt Tucholsky emigrates to Sweden and commits suicide.

1936

Participates in the international photo exhibition at the art society Manes
Prague.

1937

Joins the Prague Oskar Kokoschka League. Participates in an exhibition 50 Years Manes. Some of Heartfield's works are removed due to Germany's threats to break off diplomatic relations with Czechoslovakia.


1938   

December 9th: Heartfield flees from Prague to England before the imminent occupation of Czechoslovakia.

1939

April: He  says goodbye to his brother Wieland, who is refused a residence permit. Wieland and wife Gertrude and son George Herzfelde head to the United States.

  Heartfield holds exhibition in London entitled "One Man's War against Hitler" at the Arcade Gallery in London. (This is a key date refers directly to the script)


1940

Is interned as an Enemy in the English camps of Lutton camera1.gif (1007 bytes), Huyton, and York. He becomes very ill during this time. Gets to know another German emigre Gertrud Fietz camera1.gif (1007 bytes)

1941

Heartfield's fiftieth birthday is celebrated by an exhibition of his book cover designs and his photomontages.

1942 - 45

Involved in the League of Cultures events and exhibitions. Designs books for English publishers.

"Immigrating" Home and Recognition

1946

Holds an exhibitionin Amsterdam entitled "Sturmzeichen . John
Heartfield's Warnungen vor Krieg und Faschismus (Signs of Storm.
John Heartfield's Warnings of War and Fascism.

1947 -48  

While yet living in London, John Heartfield receives an offer to be a professor of satirical graphics at Humboldt University in East Germany.

1949

Wieland Herzfelde returns to Leipzig from the USA. He and Bertolt Brecht make efforts for Heartfield's return to Germany.

1950

August 31:  Heartfield and Gertrude Fietz return to Liepzig . John and his brother Wieland collaborate on projects for the GDR theatres and other publishing companies. Their company is called "Werkstatt : H & H".

1951

Due to a resolution passed by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, All"
Western emigrants" are suspected of "treasonable connections". This
includes John and his brother Wieland.

Heartfield suffers his first heart attack while traveling on a train from Liepzig to Berlin.

1952

Marries Gertrud Fietz.

Works on a Nikola Pogodin's play Glockenspiel des Kreml (The Chimes of the Kremlin).

 Suffers second heart attack in Liepzig. Is hospital bound until May of 1953.

1953

Stefan Heym calls for a national recognition of John Heartfields artistic work in Germany.

1956

Heartfield and his brother Wieland are politically recognized and their party membership is regarded as being uninterrupted.

Heartfield is elected as a full member of the Deutsche Akademie der Künste, in East Berlin.

1957  

The first comprehensive Heartfield exhibition in the GDR is held at Akademie der Kunste. It is entitled John Heartfield und die Kunst der Fotomontage (John Heartfield and the Art of Photomontage).

  Heartfield and Gertrude move from Liepzig to Berlin.

He receives the National Award Second Class.

1958 - 59

John makes his first film John Heartfield , ein Künstler des Volkes. (John Heartfield, an Artist of the People.)

1960- 61

Is awarded the title of professor.

1962

Participates in the fifth German art exhibition

Heartfield Gertraudern Cemetary in Güstrow in Germany camera1.gif (1007 bytes)

1964

His name is officially legalized as "John Heartfield".

1966 - 67

He participates in exhibits across Europe

1968

April 26:  He dies in East Berlin after suffering a severe illness