A Life of Design and Cinema
Hein Heckroth was a German painter, costume designer, and art director of stage and film productions. After studying as a painter in Frankfurt, he began designing costumes and sets for Kurt Jooss's dance company at the age of twenty-three. His work included several performances of The Tales of Hoffmann and the original production of The Green Table. Following his move to Great Britain in 1935, he designed the sets and costumes for the first production of Don Giovanni at Glyndebourne in 1936 and the Kurt Weill operetta, A Kingdom for a Cow.
Heckroth's career in film flourished through his collaboration with the filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. He served as a costume designer on A Matter of Life and Death and Black Narcissus. His most notable success came in 1948 with The Red Shoes, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction alongside art director Arthur Lawson. He also received two Academy Award nominations for his work on The Tales of Hoffmann.
Later Career and Legacy
In addition to his film work, Heckroth designed productions such as The Small Back Room, The Elusive Pimpernel, Gone to Earth, and Oh... Rosalinda!!. He also served as artistic supervisor on The Battle of the River Plate. Later in life, he returned to Germany to serve as the chief designer at the Frankfurt City Theatre, where he transitioned from film to television work. His final film design was Alfred Hitchcock's Topaz in 1967.
His artistic contributions are preserved in significant institutions:
- The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City
- The British Film Institute in London
