Ludwig König (designer)

Ludwig (Lutz) König (born April 25, 1891 in Bad Dürkheim , † April 16, 1974 in Dachau ) was a ceramist and industrial designer . He was a member of the German Werkbund .

life and work

Ludwig König, Grand Ducal Majolica Manufactory Karlsruhe, Evaporator elephant shape.

Ludwig König studied at the Dresden and Munich Schools of Applied Arts . In Munich he was a master student of the Art Nouveau artist Richard Riemerschmid .

On Riemerschmid's recommendation, from 1922 to 1929, König headed the master's atelier for ceramic sculpture at the Karlsruhe majolica factory, where he created expressive animal figures and at the same time designed a variety of vessel and utility ceramics in a sober, industrial style. The collaboration with the Karlsruhe manufactory ended in 1929. In 1925, König also received a teaching position for small ceramics at the Badische Landeskunstschule , where from 1929 he headed the ceramics class as professor. As a result of his work in Karlsruhe, Ludwig König soon became one of the most important ceramists in southwest Germany.

His former teacher Riemerschmid had been appointed director of the Cologne factory schools in 1926 and had set up a class for artistic and technical design there. In 1930 he appointed König as a professor at the Werkschulen, at the same time as the designer Walter Maria Kersting . King's contract was supposed to run until 1934, in fact he was dismissed in 1933 - probably for political reasons.

Starting in 1930, Ludwig König, building on his experience as a ceramist, designed an extensive collection of housewares made from Pollopas ( aminoplast ) for the Dynamit Nobel group in Troisdorf , which made him one of the most important German plastic designers in the period before 1945 .

After he was initially only able to work as a freelancer after 1933, he succeeded in 1941, succeeding Fritz Theilmann, as a teacher of modeling at the Bolesławiec School of Ceramics (today: Bolesławiec). Teaching was stopped here in February 1945.

In 1945, König was appointed director of the technical college for ceramics in Landshut . He held this office until 1953.

Ludwig König died in Dachau in 1974.

literature

• Ludwig King . In: Karlsruher Majolika: Guide through the museum in the majolica, branch museum of the Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe . Info-Verlag, Karlsruhe 2004, ISBN 3-88190-368-2 , p. 34 (published by the Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe).
• Sally Schöne, drawing room, laboratory and workshop, Janos Stekovics publishing house , Halle an der Saale 2004, ISBN 3-89923-068-X
• Andreas Gabelmann, August Babberger - Life and Work, Karlsruhe Writings on Art History, Volume 3, p. 72.
• 1998 - State technical college, vocational school and vocational school III for ceramics Landshut - 125 years, publisher City of Landshut and Staatl. Technical School for Ceramics Landshut, 1998, p. 108.