Hans Arnold Rothholz

Hans Arnold Rothholz (1919–2000) was a poster designer and graphic artist born in Dresden, Germany, who immigrated to Britain in 1933. Interned as an enemy alien during the early part of the Second World War, he designed posters for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and other clients including Wembley Stadium, Ealing Studios and other major clients between 1942 and the 1960s. Along with fellow designers Tom Eckersley, George Him and Abram Games, he has been credited with "transform[ing] visual communication in Britain".

Early life and education Rothholz was born in Dresden in 1919. He was from a Jewish family, and fled to Britain from Germany's persecution of the Jews in 1933. He was inspired by the Bauhaus movement, then popular in Germany but relatively unknown in Britain. when he was interned as an enemy alien in Canada, Liverpool, and on the Isle of Man. He also designed promotional material for Wembley Stadium which included the 1948 Olympic Games.

In 1951, Rothholz was commissioned to work on the Land Travelling Exhibition as part of the Festival of Britain. He also designed film posters for Ealing Studios. Rothholz's other clients from the 1950s included BEA, BOAC, Perera, Lyons & Co and Splendida. Rothholz also designed the programme for the 1957 World Scout Jamboree.

In the 1960s, Rothholz designed graphic schemes and murals for the Bacon & Egg and Grill & Cheese restaurant chains, operated by J. Lyons and Co. Throughout the 1960s, Rothholz re-branded Winsor & Newton art materials, and towards the end of the decade, he created a new corporate identity for the Wellcome Foundation, including packaging, vehicle liveries and stationery. In 1961 Rothholz was asked to design the Society of Industrial Artists' (SIA) showcase exhibition The Art of Persuasion, and was elected a Fellow of the Society of Industrial Artists in 1962. He also served on the SIA's Council.

Legacy As a friend and colleague of Tom Eckersley, George Him and Abram Games, Rothholz belonged to a generation of designers credited with transforming visual communication in Britain.

Posthumous exhibitions Rothholz's posters are featured in many public collections, including the Imperial War Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the London Transport Museum, and in 2007 produced a calendar of his poster designs.

BFI Southbank displayed a selection of original posters, photographs and press material from Ealing Studios in 2012, including Rothholz's poster for They Came to a City (1945).

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