Robert Hans Olschwanger
Caricaturist in exile
This special exhibition is dedicated to the artwork of graphic designer and caricaturist Robert Hans Olschwanger (1905–1998). He started working for the Frankfurter Zeitung in the 1920s and remained there until 1935, when the National Socialists stripped the Jews of their right to practise their professions. After obtaining a visa that allowed him to emigrate to Peru in 1939, he settled in Lima and provided commentaries on global political events for the most important Peruvian daily newspapers. These earned him a reputation as a caricaturist who wielded an acerbic pen.
After World War II, Olschwanger remained in Peru. He and his family eventually returned to Cologne in 1970 as a result of the political upheaval that broke out in the late 1960s. After settling in Cologne, he continued working as a commercial artist and caricaturist until well into the 1990s.
Since 2021, Robert Hans Olschwanger’s extensive estate has been held by the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 at the German National Library in Frankfurt. It contains more than 1,100 drawings, caricatures and commercial graphics as well as personal documents and a ballad to German youth. We are delighted to be able to offer an insight into Olschwanger’s impressive oeuvre in this special exhibition.
Imprint:
An exhibition of the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 at the German National Library
Concept and texts: Andrea Hartmann in cooperation with the German Exile Archive 1933–1945
Editor Arts in Exile: Dr. Jesko Bender, Dr. Marc Wurich
arts in exile