Lette Graphics x Johanna Beckmann
How much design potential lies in the technique of paper cutting? Where can graphic design emerge when scissors and paper meet?
Image gallery
The exhibition "Scissors–Style–Paper" showcases how students at the Lette Verein Berlin are currently responding creatively to historical paper cutouts by Johanna Beckmann (1868–1941) from the museum collection of the Art Library.
The works reveal the wide range of graphic media and techniques: from screen-printed posters, cyanotypes, typography, illustration, and digital works to book and moving image projects—all created within the graphic design program.
The graphic design department at the Lette Verein was founded 150 years ago—at the time, one of the few schools where women could train in design professions. Around the same time, Johanna Beckmann studied here, as well as at the teaching institution of the Berlin School of Applied Arts, which later became the present-day Art Library.
Beckmann became known as a paper-cutting artist, porcelain painter, and author. Her art is characterized by clear forms, strong contrasts, and ample room for imagination. The works, exhibited internationally since 1895, draw heavily on the inspiration and magic of nature—a theme that also connects past and present in the exhibition "Scissors–Style–Paper."
A collaborative project of the Art Library of the National Museums in Berlin and the Lette Verein Berlin
