Johann Michael Wilm
Johann Michael Wilm (born January 20, 1885 in Dorfen , † August 1, 1963 in Munich ) was a German goldsmith .
Life
Education and career
Johann Michael Wilm apprenticed as a goldsmith to his father Joseph Wilm (1856–1922). He completed his apprenticeship with various masters in Kitzbühel , Bad Tölz and Partenkirchen . From 1908 to 1910 he worked as a jewelry fitter in Hanau; in addition, he studied at the state drawing academy in Hanau.
A stay in New York followed from 1910 to 1912 . After his return to Germany, until the beginning of the First World War in 1914, he stayed in Berlin. There he was in charge of the workshop of his brother Joseph Wilm (the younger one), who in the meantime received a teaching position at the School of Applied Arts and ran the training workshop for vessel driving; Wilm also passed his master craftsman examination in Berlin.
Artistic work
After the First World War , Johann Michel Wilm founded his own workshop in Munich in 1919. Inspired by Marc Rosenberg's book on the technical basis of the history of goldsmithing (1918), he made his first attempts at the beginning of the 1920s to uncover the secret of the Etruscan granulation technique . Between 1920 and 1922, the first successful work in this technique was carried out based on ancient models, thus the rediscovery of the lost Etruscan granulation was successful. The work aroused great enthusiasm among experts and customers. It was typical for Wilms' work to create little stories from the life of the later wearer of the piece of jewelery using the granulation technique.
From the mid-1920s onwards, in addition to granulation, he also created his first works in the Byzantine cell melting enamel technique. Between 1950 and 1960, as the culmination of his work, he undertook (together with his two sons, especially Johann Michael Wilm, jun.) The restoration of the Limburg cathedral treasure, including the staff of St. Peter (made in Trier in 980, Limburg Cathedral in 1822 free). In 1956, the Holy Blood relic of Weingarten Abbey was restored . Numerous sacred works of art ( tabernacles , monstrances , goblets ) for Munich churches and chapels are also represented. (So in 1958 a lecture cross for the cathedral in Munich ).
Typical of Wilm's artistic work, in addition to granulation, are mask motifs in the 1930s . His jewelry, designed using the so-called foliage technique, with filigree leaves in various shapes and vine branches with grapes with diamonds, pearls and other precious stones, became his trademark.
Quote
“When I make a pendant or a ring, I think less about the fact that a woman will wear this jewelry than about the fact that she should hang her heart on it. Gold and precious stones are the imperishable and eternal material of this world and if, perhaps after a few thousand years, you set out to excavate our epoch, then hopefully you will not only come across the remains of sewing machines and electric stoves, but also find a piece of jewelry here and there; Then this work should reflect our whole world and show that even the birth pangs of technology have not suppressed our longing for beauty, our love for jewelry and noble form and let it die. "
Awards
- 1936–1940: Gold medal at the Triennale, Milan
- 1937: Grand Prix of the Paris World Exhibition
- 1937: Awarded the Ring of Honor by the Society for Goldsmithing
- 1950–1954: Honorary diploma from the Triennale, Milan
Exhibitions
- 1921 to 1931: Glaspalast Munich , regular exhibition participation - loss of all exhibits in its fire on July 6, 1931.
- 1924 to 1941: Leipziger Messe, Grassi Museum Leipzig
- 1936 to 1954: VI., VII., IX. and X. Triennale, Milan
- 1942: Berlin, joint exhibition with Elisabeth Treskow and Martin Seitz (Steinschneider)
- 1947 to 1960: Participation in exhibitions on sacred art in Milan, Bologna, Oberammergau, Hamburg, Munich
- 1955: Lenbachhaus - solo exhibition on the occasion of the 70th birthday
- 1960: Munich Chamber of Crafts - solo exhibition on the occasion of the 75th birthday
- 1961: Lindau, Künstlerhaus Thurn und Taxis - joint exhibition with Renée Sintenis
- 2005: Galerie P13 Munich - JM Wilm memorial exhibition, topic "Granulation" - works by several artists
- 2007: Sparkassensaal Dorfen - "The Dorfen goldsmith family Wilm"
literature
- Christiane Weber: Jewelry from the 20s and 30s in Germany. Art deco and new objectivity artist jewelry. Arnoldscher Verlag.
- Cell enamel: Die Zeit (Here Hubert Wilm is referred to as the brother of Joh. Michael Wilm. Hubert and Joh. Michael Wilm are not brothers, but distant relatives.)
- For his 75th birthday: Hamburger Abendblatt from March 5, 1960.
- Goldschmiedezeitung January 1935 (see Zentralverband-Goldschmiede )
- Sintenis - Wilm. Catalog of the joint exhibition in Lindau in 1961. Verlag Künstlerhaus Thurn und Taxis, Bregenz
- Graham Dry: Munich jewelry 1900–1940. Catalog for the exhibition in the National Museum in Munich, 1990
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sintenis exhibition catalog - Wilm 1961, pp. 19–21
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wilm, Johann Michael |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German goldsmith |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 20, 1885 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Villages |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 1, 1963 |
| Place of death | Munich |