Arthur Köster (1890-1965)
1937
Architectural model for Tempelhof Airport, Berlin.

Gelatin silver print, ferrotyped
12.7 x 18 cm
 
Bassenge Photography Auctions
19th - 21st Century Photography, 7 December 2022, Lot: 4325
 
Arthur Köster began his training in photography in the military during WWI. He had met Günther Wasmuth, director of the architecture/art publishing firm in 1915 and in 1918-20 Köster started working for Wasmuth, staying with the company for six years. Here he met important architects, such as Erich Mendelsohn, Bruno Taut, Mies van der Rohe and Hans and Wassili Luckhardt who encouraged him to establish his own firm, which he did in November 1926.
 
The architect of Tempelhof Airport, the largest construction in Europe and the representative building of the Nazi regime, was Ernst Sagebiel, who was previously a colleague and second office director of Erich Mendelsohn. This photograph was used for the 1938 printed color brochure (23 x 61 cm) of Lufthansa promoting the new building of the airport.
 
LL/124036