Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden

Water palace with outside staircase (2014)

Bergpalais (2014)

The Kunstgewerbemuseum is one of the fourteen museums of the Dresden State Art Collections . With its collection, which ranges from handicrafts from late antiquity to contemporary design, the museum is presented in the Berg- und Wasserpalais at Pillnitz Castle . The museum's expertise extends not only over a period of more than 1,500 years, but also over a wide variety of material groups - such as glass, ceramics, textiles, metal and wood - through to modern plastics.

The special focus of the collection includes Saxon handicrafts (especially glass, furniture and pewter), lacquer work and textiles. The Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden is one of the oldest collections of its kind.

The Kunstgewerbemuseum sees itself in a mediating position for the discussion on the subject of design and thus refers to its institutional roots as a collection of models for craftsmen and designers. To this end, it strives to cooperate with universities, manufacturers and designers across national borders. In addition, it develops and questions contemporary forms of presentation, e.g. B. in the form of workshops and symposia.

Museum and collection history

Kasten, Rudi Högner, Dresden, around 1926, Kunstgewerbemuseum, inv. 36132

The history of the Kunstgewerbemuseum's collection began in 1873, three years before the museum opened. The first item to enter the collection was a “Rhine wine glass with a gold rim”. In 1875 the actual foundation of the collection was then laid by making numerous acquisitions from an exhibition of handicrafts from the Middle Ages to the 18th century , which still forms the extraordinary basis of the collection today.

Mantel clock, France, around 1810–1820, Museum of Decorative Arts, inv. 39680

The museum was founded in 1876. At that time, in the wake of the first world exhibition in London in 1851, museums of applied arts / applied arts were created across Europe, which functioned as model collections for craft and industry and were intended to ensure the exportability of local consumer goods. Often affiliated with arts and crafts schools, this completely new type of museum was created: Not a courtly representative collection, but a collection that was consistently put together to train quality awareness. Right from the start, the Kunstgewerbemuseum deliberately looked beyond the borders of Dresden and Saxony and therefore today has a remarkable collection of objects from different cultural epochs and regions, from the south-eastern neighboring countries of Saxony to the Ottoman Empire, East Asia and South America.

A selection of textile fragments emerged as one of the first focal points of the collection, which was particularly significant in view of the textile industry, which is traditionally strongly rooted in Saxony. In addition, there was a wide range of collections, which today includes objects from the fields of textiles, ceramics, metal, wood, paper, glass and plastic.

In 1914 the museum was separated from the administration of the School of Applied Arts and has been run as an independent museum ever since. This was accompanied by a new self-image, which brought about a shift in the focus of the collection and a new presentation style. So one moved away from the principle of the collection of models and endeavored to provide an art-historical presentation based on style epochs, with the aim of researching the art and cultural-historical relationships in the arts and crafts.

The collection suffered a severe loss in the last weeks of the war in 1945. At that time, almost half of the holdings were lost to destruction and theft. The ceramics and glass departments in particular suffered heavy losses, but the East Asia and tapestry collections also lost many pieces.

Ito Suiko, Sky blue porcelain vase, around 1970–75, Kunstgewerbemuseum, inv. No. 43633, Photo Katrin Lauterbach

At home in the Pillnitz Summer Palace since 1963/64 and open from May to October, the aim of the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Dresden is to do justice to its original task for the public, producers and designers alike. The collection, which comprises over 60,000 objects, serves as the basis for a discussion of design. A special feature of the collection can be found in the east wing of the Bergpalais: using a collection of objects from the Deutsche Werkstätten Hellerau that is unique in its scope , it is possible to understand what innovative force radiated from Dresden into the world around 1900 .

Particularly since design expert Tulga Beyerle was appointed director of the museum in 2014, the house has increasingly positioned itself internationally and between tradition and experiment. This is expressed in an extensive special exhibition program and a systematic expansion of the collection to include contemporary pieces, especially from the neighboring countries of Poland and the Czech Republic.

Head of the permanent collection since 1876 / directors of the Kunstgewerbemuseum since 1914

Pirna Antependium, Coronation of the Virgin Mary and Saints, Bohemia, before 1350, Museum of Applied Arts, inv. 37417

• 1874–1905: Carl Ludwig Theodor Graff (1844–1906)
• 1906–1914: William Lossow (1852–1914)
• 1914–1923: Karl Berling (1857–1940)
• 1923–1933: Wolfgang Balzer (1884–1968)
• 1933–1945: Fritz Fichtner (1890–1969)
• 1945–1951: Wolfgang Balzer (1884–1968)
• 1951–1964: Hilde Rakebrand (1901–1991)
• 1964–1970: Gerda Weinholz (1964–1968 provisional, 1902–1989)
• 1970–1991: Günter Reinheckel (1933–2010)
• 1992–1999: Gisela Haase (* 1935)
• 1999–2002: Igor A. Jenzen (provisional, * 1956)
• 2002–2009: André van der Goes (* 1947)
• 2009–2013: Peter Plaßmeyer (provisional, * 1960)
• 2014–2018: Tulga Beyerle (* 1964)
• from July 1, 2019: Thomas Geisler

History of the special exhibitions

The Kunstgewerbemuseum recorded its first special exhibition, dated in 1878. During this time, the focus was primarily on the presentation of fabrics and ornamental stitches as well as glasses and ceramic items from early production and handicrafts. These material groups were repeatedly the subject of various exhibitions until 1913. In addition, from 1892 to 1911 a large number of flag shows and flag designs from various clubs and schools were shown. In keeping with the function of the museum as a model collection, designs and images for decorative elements, paintings, wallpaper samples and ceramic items were regularly presented in this early phase of the Kunstgewerbemuseum. The peculiarities of the exhibitions of that time are mainly that most of them were rather small in size and had a short presentation time. So it was possible to have them travel as traveling exhibitions in the Saxony region.

From 1920 to 1930, in spite of the complete underfunding of the house, further smaller exhibitions followed with a thematic range from wallpapers based on artist designs to sacred objects of daily use. The presentation of glass and porcelain items also continued to enjoy great popularity.

From the 1930s onwards, the character of the exhibitions changed from the accumulation of many small model collections to large - and above all long-term and art-historically sound - presentations based on style epochs. Nevertheless, mentions in the press were rather rare, which is why the exhibition “Old and New Pewter” from 1934, with its great media response, should be mentioned as an outstanding example.

The new self-image of the Kunstgewerbemuseum as a place where tradition and experiment, design and handicrafts meet is expressed in a large number of exhibitions , a selection of which is listed here:

• “Industrial Form and Crafts of the Present”, Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden, May - October 1967.
• “ Friedrich Bundtzen , Weißwasser. 20 Years of Glass Design in the GDR ”, Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden, May 24 - October 15, 1969.
• “Form created in the past and present. Furniture from Hellerau ”, Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden, June 2 - October 31, 1973.
• “Saxon Glass from the 17th to the Beginning of the 19th Century”, Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden, May 31 - October 31, 1974.
• "Modern Japanese Lacquer Art", Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden, June 26 - August 8, 1982.
• "Design impressions in Dresden - Bŏrek Šipek Art Design", Dresden Museum of Applied Arts, September 9 - October 31, 1995.
• "HB - Hedwig Bollhagen. Old Master of Ceramics ”, Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden, 7 August - 31 October 1996.
• “The Dresden Museum of Applied Arts. From the model collection to the museum. 1876 ​​to 1907 ", Albertinum Dresden, December 13, 1998 - March 14, 1999.
• "Art Nouveau in Dresden - Departure into the Modern Age", Residenzschloss Dresden, September 17 - December 5, 1999.
• “Dresden lace - Point de Saxe. Virtuoso whiteworks of the 18th century ”, Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden, July 15 - October 31, 2000.
• "On giving and collecting - 125 years of the Dresden Museum of Applied Arts", Dresden Museum of Decorative Arts, March 16 - October 31, 2001.
• “Gods, heroes and grotesques. The golden age of majolica ”, Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden, June 17 - October 31, 2006.
• “Breaking napkins - the art of napkin folding from the 16th century to the present day”, Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden, 30 June - 31 August 2007.
• “The parts of the whole. Stories from the collection of the Kunstgewerbemuseum ”, Lipsiusbau Dresden, 7 March - 16 August 2015.
• "Our own drive - or how the wheel moves us". Catalog.

Permanent exhibition

Writing cabinet, design: FG Hoffmann, Saxony, 1795–1800, Kunstgewerbemuseum, inv. 39718

The permanent exhibition is currently in a phase of redesign. The exhibition, which was previously structured according to historical epochs and styles, has been successively redesigned since 2016. The first step took place in the Wasserpalais, the west wing of which is dedicated to the topic of "material". In 2017, the east wing of the Wasserpalais will follow with the theme “ornament”.

The Bergpalais welcomes visitors with a main hall designed in the style of Japonism . The tour begins in the adjoining rooms to the west on the topic of manufactories , in which the effectiveness and innovative strength of manufacturers of the 18th century are illustrated. In the west wing of the palace and on the upper floor, the permanent exhibition shows the development of handicrafts from the end of the 18th century to contemporary design . These include works by Karl Friedrich Schinkel , Samuel Mohn, the Thonet brothers and Piero Fornasetti .

The eastern exit of the main hall in the Bergpalais provides access to the Deutsche Werkstätten Hellerau display depot . Based on one of the world's most extensive collections of furniture from the Deutsche Werkstätten, the development of industrial furniture construction is shown.

German workshops in Hellerau

Sunday rider, designed by Richard Riemerschmid, 1904, executed by Dresdner Werkstätten für Handwerkskunst, Toy Department Zschopau, around 1905, Museum of Decorative Arts, inv. 55380, Photo H.-P. Klut

The Deutsche Werkstätten wrote international furniture history in 1906 with Richard Riemerschmid 's “Dresden Home Appliance”, the first so-called machine furniture series. The clear and ornamentless design of the series refers to the underlying mechanical production processes and shaped a new minimalist aesthetic in furniture construction.

The presentation of the viewing depot is divided into time slots. Using characteristic objects, developments in the serial furniture construction of the Deutsche Werkstätten from the beginnings in 1898 to the 1960s are illustrated. On display are the machine furniture designed by Richard Riemerschmid (1868–1957) as well as cupboards from the “The growing apartment” range by Bruno Paul (1874–1968) or parts from the “The cheap apartment” series by the designer Adolf Gustav Schneck (1883 -1971).

Classics of GDR design such as type set 602 by Franz Ehrlich (1907–1984), the MDW wall by the designer collective around Rudolf Horn (* 1929), the veneer chair by Erich Menzel (1910–?) Or the armchair by Selman Selmanagic (1905 –1986) show that the Deutsche Werkstätten continued to work at a demanding level even after the turning point of the Second World War.

The furniture is complemented by textiles, ceramics and brass work, which represent the holistic living concept of the Deutsche Werkstätten.

literature

• Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Ed.): Dresdener Kunstblätter. Decorative Arts Museum. 58th year, volume 3, Dresden 2014.
• Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Ed.): From giving and collecting. 125 years of the Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden. Dresden 2001.
• Wolfgang Rother: The School of Applied Arts and the Museum of Applied Arts in Dresden: A building between late historicism and modernism. Dresden 1999.
• Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Hrsg.): The Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden. From the prototype collection to the museum 1876–1907. Dresden 1998.
• Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Ed.): Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden. Masterpieces from the 18th and 19th centuries. Dresden 1996.

Web links

Commons : Kunstgewerbemuseum, Dresden  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Wikisource: Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden  - sources and full texts

• The arts and crafts museum at the Dresden State Art Collections
• The Kunstgewerbemuseum at www.dresden-und-sachsen.de
• The Kunstgewerbemuseum on Facebook

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Berlin designers and Prague glass works in the Kunstgewerbemuseum in DIE WELT on April 30, 2015
2. ^ The Dresden Arts and Crafts Museum. From the model collection to the museum 1876-1907 . Eurasburg 1998, as well as informal discussions with the employees of the KGM Dipl. Phil. Kerstin Stöver and Dipl. Museol. Torsten Pieter Rösler.
3. Jump up ↑ management 1876–1998 in: Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Ed.): Das Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden. From the model collection to the museum. 1876-1907 . Dresden 1998, pp. 255-259.
4. ↑ New director at the Kunstgewerbemuseum of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden , online on DNN on December 12, 2013.
5. ↑ Sachsen.de Medienservice Sachsen from November 27, 2018: Thomas Geisler becomes director of the Kunstgewerbemuseum of the Dresden State Art Collections , accessed on November 27, 2018
6. ^ The Dresden Museum of Applied Arts: From the model collection to the museum; 1876-1907. Eurasburg 1998, pp. 262-270.
7. ↑ Description of the exhibition ( Memento of the original dated August 6, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on the museum website. 
8. ↑ All the world goes crazy in FAZ on August 5, 2016, page 13

Coordinates: 51 ° 0 ′ 32.1 ″  N , 13 ° 52 ′ 12.6 ″  E