Richard Paul Lohse, with his modular and serial orders, is one of the founders of systematic-constructive art in the 20th century. This book, a project by the Richard Paul Lohse-Foundation, is the first to present the complete works of the Swiss-born artist and graphic designer. Numerous works, some of them not accessible since their first publication, are brought together here for the first time. A number of essays shed further light on the multi-faceted relationship between aesthetics and politics from the 1930s, exploring Lohse's influence on the development of modern non-fiction books, informative product advertisements and the history of Swiss graphic design, which has had an exemplary status world-wide since the 1950s. The essays also explore the parallel development of modular and serial thinking in architecture and design and analyze Lohse's contribution to the magazines Bauen + Wohnen and Neue Grafik. The book concludes with the catalogue raisonné of his graphic design, opening the way to over 1,600 examples of his expertise. 

The second volume of the catalogue raisonné is devoted to his works on paper: 172 original prints and multiples, created between 1940 and 1987. This book is not only an indispensable standard reference for all scholars, art dealers, and collectors, it also provides detailed accounts of Lohse’s collaboration with publishers, printers, and fellow artists. The chapters shed light on personalities, institutions, and events that were to have a lasting impact on the course of artistic culture in Switzerland and Europe. The color illustrations are not confined to the complete prints, but include project-related printed matter, in most cases likewise designed by Lohse. This book also affords new insights into Lohse’s work both with and on color and the complex interrelations between prints, paintings, and drawings.

The set includes the volumes Drucke and Konstruktive Gebrauchsgrafik.