Walter Reimann

Walter Reimann (2 June 1887 – 8 November 1936) was a German painter and art director. He was an Expressionist and member of the group of artists associated with Zurich magazine, Der Sturm.[1] He worked on the production design of a number of films during his career, the most important of which was The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

Along with fellow members of the Der Sturm group, Walter Röhrig and Hermann Warm, Reimann created skewed, dreamlike sets that distorted geometry and indicated the interior states of mind of the characters. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was an international success and the production design has had a lasting influence on other movies - especially in the horror and film noir genres - since then. The Caligari design is echoed in the sets produced by Universal Studios for their series of classic monster movies in the 1930s.

Reimann continued to work as an art director in Germany until his death in 1936, but none of his subsequent designs had the impact of Caligari.[2]

In 2017, the Art Directors Guild honored Reimann's work and legacy with a tribute at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.[3]