He rose to fame with the Kramerstuhl (Kramer Chair), a modern piece using the bentwood technique (for Thonet). The designer/activist also lectured at the Frankfurt Art Academy on issues surrounding “functional architecture”. Always a man with a mission, Kramer spent his whole life trying to simplify the world. This goal is witnessed by inventions such as a foldable metal dish shelf, a combined clothing and linens closet, as well as “knock-down furniture” designed for self-assembly and disposable umbrellas made of coated paper that he developed while in American exile. After being banned from his profession due to his political views and Jewish wife, the avant-gardist was forced to start over again in America, where, despite numerous projects, he never managed to gain a career foothold. Upon returning to his hometown, he became director of architecture at the rebuilt Goethe University.