Lothar Schreyer

Who was Lothar Schreyer?

Lothar Schreyer was a German artist, editor, and gallery owner.

He studied law and art history at the universities of University of Heidelberg, Humboldt University of Berlin and University of Leipzig, with a doctorate in law, in 1910.

From 1911 to 1918, he worked as a dramatic advisor, and assistant director at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus. From 1914, he worked with Herwarth Walden, director of the gallery 'Der Sturm' in Berlin. From 1916 to 1928, he was editor of Der Sturm. In 1918, together with Walden, he founded an experimental Expressionist theater called 'Sturm-Bühne'.

In 1921, he was invited to lead the stage workshop at the Bauhaus. His production of Mondspiel failed: this play caused a protest among the students. He left the Bauhaus two years later.

From 1924 to 1927, he was a teacher at the Berlin art school 'Der Weg'. From 1928 to 1931, he was head editor of the publishing house 'Hanseatische Verlagsanstalt'. He corresponded with Paul Klee.

In 1933 he converted to Catholicism. During the 1930s, he was concerned with Christian mysticism and folk ideas, and ultimately the Nazi ideology, signing the Gelöbnis treuester Gefolgschaft, the 1933 declaration in which 88 German authors vowed faithful allegiance to Adolf Hitler. However, his work was included in the "Degenerate art" exhibition of 1937.