Irmgard Sörensen-Popitz

Irmgard Sörensen-Popitz (3 June 1896 – 2 November 1993) frequently known as Söre Popitz was a German graphic designer who studied at the Bauhaus.

Life Irmgard Sörensen was born on 3 July 1896 in Kiel, Germany.

She began painting at an early age, encouraged by her grandmother. In her teenage years, Sörensen continued to pursue visual arts, going on to attend the craft college in Kiel. In 1917 she matriculated at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig, where she studied graphic arts, drafting, and advertising. Her other mentors at the school included Jan Tschichold and Paul Klee.

After her time out the Bauhaus, Popitz continues her constructivist style throughout her work. When hired to work for the magazine Die Neue Linie (The New Line), much of her work can be connected to her works from her Bauhaus era. Many of her magazine covers and article designs often feature the figure in some way, mainly the female figure, while also combining color with black and white photographs. These elements working together create a formal, clean look, while also staying somewhat casual.

Unfortunately, many of Popitz's earlier works were lost during the Bombing of Leipzig. However, despite these setbacks, Popitz is still considered one of the most important women in graphic design, especially during World War I and World War II.

After the death of her husband in 1949, Popitz begins to design book covers for Insel-Bücherei, a book series that began in 1912. By 1956, Popitz returned to painting, becoming heavily influenced by Informel Style. Her paintings soon took on a more abstract, flowy style, focusing heavily on loose gestures and casual strokes. She continued this painting style until her death in 1993. Much of her work was inherited by Wilma Stöhr, a gallery worker from Wuppertal, Germany.