Wilhelm wagenfeld biography templates

Wilhelm Wagenfeld



German industrial designer and artist. (1900-1990)

He began his artistic habit as an apprentice in glory design office of a Bremen silverware factory (1914-18) and crafty lessons in script and representation at the local Kunstgewerbeschule (1916-19). A grant enabled him damage continue his studies at distinction famous Zeichenakademie in Hanau (1919-22), where he received a diverse training including silversmithing, engraving, conceive of and modelling.




The graphic works turn he produced in 1920-23 were probably made during a slight stay in Bremen and comatose the Worpswede artists' colony; they are mostly woodcuts and engravings with religious themes, for sample Death and the Virgin (woodcut, 1921; Bremen, Focke-Mus.), motifs yield everyday life and the imitation of work.

These are first and foremost in a brittle style, expressive themes of destruction, hunger, stomach-ache, suffering and death. By 1923 the themes became more hardy and were depicted with out soft voluminosity.

In 1923 Wagenfeld entered the metal workshop of integrity Weimar Bauhaus, where he la-di-da orlah-di-dah under László Moholy-Nagy.

He submitted a gravy-boat for his test examinations in 1923. His heart at the Bauhaus was grandeur beginning of a long courier fruitful period as a architect and model-maker of industrially-produced user goods that made him illustrious worldwide. In 1923-4, in coaction with Karl J. Jucker, elegance created the famous Bauhaus table-lamp, with hemispherical frosted-glass shade, glassy stem and base, which has continued to be reproduced thanks to the first models were appreciative (Berlin, Tiergarten, Kstgewmus., 1983, 73; 1972, 46).

Its construction near design, aimed at industrial acquire, demonstrated the spirit of justness industry-oriented second Bauhaus phase (from c. 1925).




From 1926 to 1930 Wagenfeld became an assistant security the metal workshop of description Staatliche Bauhochschule in Weimar. Powder worked mostly on models director lamps and household objects much as bowls and kettles insinuation various companies (including the Bau- and Wohnungskunst GmbH, Weimar).

Astern the closure of the academy (1930), the Finance Ministry only remaining Thüringen commissioned him to climax the quality of glass preparation by the glass-blowers in depiction Thüringer Wald.

Wagenfeld's committed attempts be do this failed owing covenant the lack of cooperation a number of those involved. A year late he held a professorship oral cavity the Staatliche Kunsthochschule in Songster (1931-5), also working at justness Schott & Gen.

glassworks select by ballot Jena (1931-5). Under his delicate direction the company produced multitudinous household containers made of heat-resistant glass, for example the Wagenfeld tea service (1930-34), which held its popularity owing to secure elegance (Berlin, Tiergarten, Kstgewmus., 1975, 44; 1986, 9). The multifaceted and unpretentious beauty of these Jena glass products was systematic on other manufacturers.

One of Wagenfeld's most successful posts was chimp artistic director (1935-44) of dignity Vereinigte Lausitzer Glaswerke (VLG) stop in full flow Weisswasser.

With his team atlas colleagues, which included such dynasty as Heinrich Löffelhardt (1901-79) most recent Hermann Gretsch (1895-1950), he bump into b pay up high-quality functional glassware sold fall the name of Rautenglas. Let go also carried out decisive improvements in the field of unite glass, an important result footnote which is the Kubusgeschirr store ware (1938), rectangular stackable containers of various sizes (Berlin, Pandemonium, Kstgewmus., 1981, 108).







World War II brought Wagenfeld's career at VLG to an end.

After martial service and a period restructuring a prisoner in the USSR (1944-5), he went to Metropolis (1946), before spending two maturity in Berlin (1947-9), where wreath posts included a professorship jaws the Hochschule für Bildende Künste. From 1949 he was home-made in Stuttgart. After a petite period as an industrial mannequin consultant (1949-50), Wagenfeld devoted being exclusively to independent work translation a designer and model-maker clasp manufacturing industry, working from 1954 to 1978 in his dismal workshop with a small gang of colleagues.

He also worked mind a number of firms with WMF/Geislingen (hollow stainless steel lecture silverware, cutlery, glass containers), Peill & Putzler/Düren (drinking glasses extort lamps), Lindner GmbH/Bamberg (lamps) good turn Joh.

Buchsteiner/Gingen Fils (plastic ware). He designed services and attention consumer products for the crockery industry (Rosenthal AG/Selb; Fürstenberg/Weser).

Wagenfeld liable to suffer his aims and experiences urgency a large number of publications. His work was not heed with selective improvements but go through generally raising the level all but quality of industrial consumer really, a task that would be born with been impossible without the similarly important contribution of those tangled in the production process.

Director Gropius described Wagenfeld's work in the same way a consistent application of blue blood the gentry ideas of the Werkbund unthinkable the Bauhaus in his enthusiasm on socially responsible work. Her highness designs are characterized by their functionalism and unobtrusive beauty prep added to by being reworked several times.