Robert Samuel Haas (April 16, 1898–December 5, 1997) was a Viennese-born calligrapher, typographer, photographer, art collector and book designer. He immigrated to the United States in 1939.
Biography and career
Robert Samuel Haas was born on April 16, 1898, in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, to Daniel and Ernestine Haas (née Pick). He was raised in Vienna, and received a degree in engineering from Höhere Technische Lehranstalt. He studied calligraphy under Rudolf von Larisch and photography from Trude Fleischmann. In 1925, he opened his own hand press printing shop, Officina Vindobonesis, in Vienna with Carry Hauser and Fritz Siegel, that mainly catered to the arts community. In addition to publishing his own works, they also published material for Austrian novelist Hugo von Hofmannsthal, writer Otto Stoessl and artist Alfred Kubin. He designed the monogram for the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, which is still being used. His photo mural design for the Austrian Pavilion at the 1937 Paris World Fair, won the Grand Prix and the Gold Medal.
Haas immigrated to the United States in 1939 and started Ram Press in New York City. He was a professor of calligraphy and typography at Cooper Union in Lower Manhattan until his retirement in 1967. From 1970 to 1971 he taught calligraphy at Yale University, and also taught at Purchase College. His archives and collections of calligraphy and typography were donated to the Library of Congress in 1996.
In 1972, he was awarded the title of Beruss-Professor by Franz Jonas, then President of Austria for his outstanding work in the United States. He was also selected three times for 50 Books of the Year Award.
In 1946, he married Maude Dabbs, and they had two daughters. Haas died on December 5, 1997, in Valhalla, New York.
See also
References
- Madison, Paul with Herman Zapf (1984). Robert Haas: Printing, Calligraphy, Photography. Friends of the Fairleigh Dickinson Library.
- ^ Dispatch Staff Writer (December 7, 1997). "Robert Haas: Retired Professor of Calligraphy and Typography". The Reporter Dispatch. p. 10A.
- ^ Information Department of the Austrian Consulate General (1993). High Austria Decoration for Professor Robert Haas. Vol. 46. Austrian Information. p. 12. Issues 7/8
Further reading
- Haas, Robert; Holzer, Anton; Kreutler, Frauke; Storch, Ursula (2016). Robert Haas: Framing Two Worlds. Wien Museum. ISBN 978-3-7757-4199-6.
- Horn, Maurice (1986). Contemporary Graphic Artists: A Biographical, Bibliographical, and Critical Guide to Current Illustrators, Animators, Cartoonists, Designers, and Other Graphic Artists. Contemporary Graphic Artists. Vol. 2. Gale Research Company. ISBN 978-0-8103-2190-8.
- Zapf, Hermann; Standard, Paul (1984). Fraser, James (ed.). Robert Haas Printing Calligraphy Photography. Catalogue by Renée Weber. New Jersey: Friends of the Library, Florham-Madison Campus, Fairleigh Dickinson University. LCCN 84081036. OCLC 11971371.
- Zimmer, William (June 3, 1984). "Art; Photographer/Printer/Calligrapher's Work In Retrospect". The New York Times.
External links
- "Photomontage at the Paris World's Fair by Robert Haas (1937)". at Continuity/Rupture: Art and Architecture in Central Europe 1918-1939
- Book review of the Wien Museum exhibition catalogue at Cosmopolis