Herbert Ohl
From 1947 to 1949, Herbert Ohl studied painting and graphic arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe. He obtained his degree in architecture from the Faculty of Karlsruhe in 1952.
Subsequently, he worked with Egon Eiermann until 1954. From 1954 to 1956, Ohl worked as an appointed architect at the University Hospital of Saarbrücken, and then as a freelance designer and architect in Ulm. Starting in 1956, he also taught at the Hochschule für Gestaltung Ulm, becoming a member of the board of rectors in 1959. In 1966, he was appointed rector, even though it was already known that the Geschwister-Scholl Foundation, which managed the institute, was heavily indebted. In 1968, teaching activities in Ulm were suspended, and he moved to Milan, where he collaborated with the Italian architect Gino Valle to design the complete renovation of the La Rinascente department store.
After 1968, Ohl worked as an expert and designer, conducting various research projects on automotive safety for Fiat, among other things. His clients in Italy included furniture companies such as Fantoni, for which he designed the modular office system “Serie 45°” (which was included in the permanent collection of the MoMA in New York), Brionvega, and Arflex, for which he developed a chair with tensioned nets from 1974 to 1979. He also collaborated with Matteograssi. In Germany, in 1982, he revised the design of Arflex for Wilkhahn, which was included in their product range as the “O-Line.” Furthermore, also in 1982, he designed the cantilever chair Swing for Rosenthal, later distributed by Lübke.
From 1974 to 1982, Ohl was the Technical Director of the German Design Council. From 1975 to 1979, he was a member of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID). From 1984 to 1991, he was a professor of Automotive Design at Hochschule Pforzheim, and from 1988, he was a professor of Industrial Design at the University of Illinois in Chicago.
Herbert Ohl
From 1947 to 1949, Herbert Ohl studied painting and graphic arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe. He obtained his degree in architecture from the Faculty of Karlsruhe in 1952.
Subsequently, he worked with Egon Eiermann until 1954. From 1954 to 1956, Ohl worked as an appointed architect at the University Hospital of Saarbrücken, and then as a freelance designer and architect in Ulm. Starting in 1956, he also taught at the Hochschule für Gestaltung Ulm, becoming a member of the board of rectors in 1959. In 1966, he was appointed rector, even though it was already known that the Geschwister-Scholl Foundation, which managed the institute, was heavily indebted. In 1968, teaching activities in Ulm were suspended, and he moved to Milan, where he collaborated with the Italian architect Gino Valle to design the complete renovation of the La Rinascente department store.
After 1968, Ohl worked as an expert and designer, conducting various research projects on automotive safety for Fiat, among other things. His clients in Italy included furniture companies such as Fantoni, for which he designed the modular office system “Serie 45°” (which was included in the permanent collection of the MoMA in New York), Brionvega, and Arflex, for which he developed a chair with tensioned nets from 1974 to 1979. He also collaborated with Matteograssi. In Germany, in 1982, he revised the design of Arflex for Wilkhahn, which was included in their product range as the “O-Line.” Furthermore, also in 1982, he designed the cantilever chair Swing for Rosenthal, later distributed by Lübke.
From 1974 to 1982, Ohl was the Technical Director of the German Design Council. From 1975 to 1979, he was a member of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID). From 1984 to 1991, he was a professor of Automotive Design at Hochschule Pforzheim, and from 1988, he was a professor of Industrial Design at the University of Illinois in Chicago.
