Josef Hartwig

Josef Hartwig (1880–1956) was a Bauhaus sculptor best known for his 1923 minimalist chess set design, known as in German, or Bauhaus chess in English.

Personal life Josef Hartwig was born on 19 March 1880 in Munich. Beginning at age 13, he served as an apprentice in the studio of stonemason Simon Korn. During his time in Korn's studio, Hartwig met a number of prominent architects including Theodor Fischer and August Endell.

From 1904 to 1908 Hartwig attended the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, studying under Balthasar Schmidt. For a brief period after his graduation, he worked as a stonemason, producing gravestones in Berlin.

After his tenure at the Bauhaus, Hartwig continued producing sculptural work and began a brief career in art restoration.

The chess sets were sold in two versions, a "daily use" version (Gebrauchsspiel) which cost 51 Marks, and a hand-made "luxury" version (Luxusspiel) which used more expensive types of wood and cost 155 Marks. As was the case with most Bauhaus products, this was too expensive for most consumers, and the chess sets remained a luxury item sold in small numbers.