Born: 14-Apr-1868
Birthplace: Hamburg, Germany
Died: 27-Feb-1940
Location of death: Berlin, Germany
Cause of death: unspecified

Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Architect, Designer

Nationality: Germany
Executive summary: Invented corporate identity

In early days a "bohemian" and part of the Munich Secession, Behrens dabbled in various artistic design enterprises particularly in applied arts, including constructing typefaces, ceramics, and magazine covers. A house he designed for the Darmstadt 1901 Exhibition received universal acclaim, and he designed the entrance for the German pavilion at the 1902 Turin Exhibition. In 1907, Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gessellschaft (AEG) hired Behrens as a consultant. For them, he re-formed the company's image and create a corporate identity, a first for the time -- designing its trademark, stationery and catalogues, and key products of the company. Behren's approach to architecture was also very cognizant of context and image. The great architect Walter Gropius later wrote, "It was Behrens who first introduced me to logical and systematical coordination in the handling of architectural problems." Behren's forms served as an intermediary between Jugendstil and Industrial Classicism. Admired by Albert Speer, he was essentially left alone during the Nazi period, in which time he as he held the position of Professor of Architecture at the Prussian Academy of Arts.

Wife: Lilly Kramer (m. 1890)

    University: Karlsruhe School of Art (1886-89)
    Teacher: Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Vienna (1922-36)
    Teacher: Preußische Akademie der Kunste (1936-40)

Selected edifices:
German Embassy (1912, St. Petersburg, Russia )
Höchst Headquarters (1920-25, Frankfurt, Germany )
New Ways (1936, Northampton, England )

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