Willy Zierath

Willy Zierath was a versatile artist – painter, graphic artist and trained interior designer. As a member of the “Novembergruppe” in Berlin, he was strongly committed both politically and artistically. He formed an inspiring network with colleagues such as Otto Dix, George Grosz and others. From 1927 to 1930, Zierath was at the renowned Bauhaus in Dessau. Here he saw the opportunity to deepen his skills and thus lay a solid foundation for his later career as an architect. A highlight of his career is found in Lázló Moholy-Nagy’s book From Material to Architecture, where Zierath’s groundbreaking work of 1927 is highlighted, including his innovative “two-line tactile ladder and optical translation”. Despite his considerable contributions, Zierath left Germany for Moscow as a contract architect in May 1930. In the years that followed, he worked at the Metallurgical Combine on the Kuznetskstroy project. Tragically, he died unexpectedly of a heart attack there in 1934 while continuing to implement his creative ideas.