Richard Paul LOHSE

Painter and graphic artist, but also thinker, designer and activist, Lohse shaped the visual culture of post-war Europe.

He saw graphic design as a tool for social change. Rejecting subjective expression, he sought to establish a universal visual language based on mathematical precision and systematic order.
Lohse's works immerse the viewer in rhythm, colour and structure. His principle of equal amounts of colour ensures that each hue appears with the same frequency and balance.

His serial compositions and modular systems eliminated hierarchy, reinforcing his belief in social progress and democratic ideals.

Along with Max Bill, Richard Paul Lohse was the leading figure in Zurich's concrete art movement. These artists met at the Allianz association, founded by Lohse, where they debated Mondrian's neoplasticism and the ideas of Theo van Doesburg. As a result, they created a system based on geometry and its rigour, simple forms and the energy of colour.