Thomas Raff

Thomas Raff (born January 3, 1947 in Munich ) is a German art historian with a focus on material iconology, Christian iconography, Art Nouveau artists in Munich and the history of Dießen am Ammersee.

Life

Raff studied art history, classical archeology and European ethnology (folklore) at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich. He received his doctorate with a thesis on medieval wind personifications. After academic activities at the “Bibliotheca Hertziana”, Rome (1973–1975), editing work at the “Reallexikon zur Deutschen Kunstgeschichte”, Munich (1978–1980) and exhibition activities, he went in 1985 as a research assistant to the chair for art history at the University of Augsburg. After his habilitation there in 1991 on the iconology of materials, he took over a professorship in 1993 and taught as an adjunct professor from 1996-2009. 2010–2020 he was chairman of the Bavarian Arts and Crafts Association. His research and publications on the artists Thomas Theodor Heine , Franz von Stuck and Wilhelm Morgenstern (alias Willi Rudinoff) and on the history of his adopted home Dießen am Ammersee are of particular importance .

Exhibitions

Curator and curatorial assistance: “Pilgrimage knows no borders ” (Bavarian National Museum, Munich, 1984); “A Greek dream. Klenze as an archaeologist ” (Glyptothek, Munich, 1986); "Th. Th. Heine ”(Lenbachhaus, Munich, 1999–2000 ; Bröhan Museum, Berlin, 2001); various exhibitions on Franz von Stuck (Franz von Stuck's birthplace, Tettenweis, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011); “The art dealer Paul Cassirer as a publisher ” (Max-Liebermann-Haus, Berlin; Jewish Museum, Frankfurt / M., 2006).

Publications

Monographs

• "Ju and Gu". Otto Julius Bierbaum and his first wife Gusti Rathgeber. A search for traces in Dießen am Ammersee. , Apelles, Starnberg 2019, ISBN 978-3-946375-08-1 .
• Wilhelm Morgenstern alias Willi Rudinoff. Graphic artist, variety artist, opera singer and friend of Frank Wedekind. Writings of the Frank Wedekind Society Vol. 6, Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg 2015, ISBN 978-3-8260-5784-7 .
• The majesties Otto and Amalia of Greece portrayed by the sculptor Heinrich Max Imhof . Ottobrunn 2012, ISBN 978-3-00-040599-0 .
• "The strength of men and the soft pliability of women." Franz von Stuck: The sculptural work . Tettenweis 2011, ISBN 978-3-9808944-8-7 .
• You take it all too tragically. Letters from Th. Th. Heine to Alfred Kubin, 1912–1947 (punctum 21. Treatises from Art & Culture). scaneg, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-89235-121-4 .
• The language of the materials. Instructions for an iconology of materials (Munich contributions to folklore , published by the Institute for Folklore / European Ethnology at the University of Munich, 37). Waxmann, Münster a. a. 2008, ISBN 978-3-8309-1881-3 ) (2nd, improved edition of the Habil.)
• Model and painter. Mary Stuck and her father (catalog for the 19th annual exhibition in Franz von Stuck's birthplace in Tettenweis). Tettenweis 2007, ISBN 978-3-9808944-4-9 .
• A festival of the arts. Paul Cassirer. The art dealer as publisher . Edited by Rahel E. Feilchenfeldt and Thomas Raff. CH Beck, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-406-54086-4 .
• Walks through Diessen am Ammersee. With photos by Bernhard Jott Keller. Edited by the market town of Diessen. Dussa, Steingaden 2006, ISBN 978-3-922950-51-6 .
• Christian themes in Franz von Stuck's work (catalog for the 17th annual exhibition in Franz von Stuck's birthplace in Tettenweis). Tettenweis 2005, ISBN 3-9808944-2-8 .
• The truth is often unlikely. Thomas Theodor Heine's letters to Franz Schoenberner from exile (publications by the German Academy for Language and Poetry Darmstadt 82). Göttingen (Wallstein) 2004, ISBN 3-89244-465-X .
• Franz von Stuck - the painter and his "sin (s)" (catalog for the 15th annual exhibition in Franz von Stuck's birthplace in Tettenweis). Tettenweis 2003, ISBN 3-9808944-0-1 .
• The pigeon tower at Diessen. From the gate tower to the art tower. Edited by Heimatverein Diessen und Umgebung eV on the occasion of its 75th anniversary. Diessen 2000, ISBN 3-922950-44-2 .
• Thomas Theodor Heine. The Simplicissimus Bite. The artistic work. (Vol. 1 of the catalog for the exhibition of the same name in the Städt. Galerie München in the Lenbachhaus, edited by Helmut Friedel). Leipzig (Seemann) 2000, ISBN 3-363-00744-2 .
• Idyll with downsides. Diessener reading book , Vol. 2 (with texts by OJ Bierbaum, W. Hausenstein, H. Piontek, HW Richter and many others). Diessen 1998.
• Between idyll and world history. Thomas Theodor Heine and Diessen am Ammersee. Dussa, Steingaden 1998, ISBN 3-922950-39-6 .
• The language of the materials. Instructions for an iconology of materials . (Habilitation thesis). Deutscher Kunstverlag Munich 1994, ISBN 3-422-06130-4 .)
• Diary of a country life. Ein Diessener Lesebuch , Vol. 1 (with texts by OJ Bierbaum, W. Hausenstein, O. Panizza, H. Stahl, B. König and others). Diessen 1990, (2nd edition 1998)
• 60 years of Heimatverein Diessen und Umgebung eV 1925–1985 . Diessen 1985
• This in old representations and descriptions . Wolf and Son, Munich 1985, ISBN 3-922979-16-5 .
• Walks through Diessen am Ammersee. A companion to the historical sites. Diessen (Heimatverein Diessen und Umgebung eV) 1982
• Diessen am Ammersee in old views European library. Zaltbommel / Netherlands 1981, ISBN 90-288-1999-1 .

Articles (selection)

• “Vernacular” or “art literature”? Why do the citizens of Dießen am Ammersee call their municipal coat of arms "Fischermartl"? In: Thomas Dreier (et al. Ed.): Lawyer for Copyright. Festschrift for Gernot Schulze on his 70th birthday. Munich (CH Beck) 2017, pp. 495–499.
• Thomas Theodor Heine as an author. Thoughts on the manuscripts from his estate in the Monacensia literary archive. In: Waldemar Fromm (et al. Ed.): Friends of Monacensia eV Yearbook 2017. Munich (Allitera) 2017, pp. 218–228.
• The copywriter and the draftsman: Ludwig Thoma and Olaf Gulbransson. In: Elisabeth Tworek (Ed.): Trügerische Idylle. Writer and artist at Tegernsee 1900–1945. Munich (Allitera) 2017, pp. 24–37.
• Why did Thomas Theodor Heine avoid Tegernsee? The relationships between Thomas Theodor Heine, Ludwig Thoma and Olaf Gulbransson. In: Elisabeth Tworek (Ed.): Trügerische Idylle. Writer and artist at Tegernsee 1900–1945. Munich (Allitera) 2017, pp. 48–59.
• Article "Eduard Thöny" . In: Neue Deutsche Biographie, Vol. 26 (2016), pp. 160–162.
• The scholars' medallions on the facade of the main university building. In: Claudius Stein (Ed.): Domus Universitatis. The main building of the LMU 1835–1911 - 2011. Munich (Utz) 2015, pp. 47–57 and 259–263.
• “He blew the trumpet of war with full lung power.” The Simplicissimus in World War I. In: Waldemar Fromm (et al. Ed.): Friends of Monacensia eV Yearbook 2015. Munich (Allitera), pp. 226–246.
• Zephyr and the others. In: Thomas Weiß (Ed.): Flora, Fauna, Gartenfreude. The Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom in the cycle of nature. UNESCO World Heritage. Wettin (Stekovics) 2015, pp. 278–287.
• "Constat enim ex auro, argento, aere et ferro ..." Considerations on the importance of the materials used in medieval wheel candlesticks. In: Karl Bernhard Kruse (ed.): The Hezilo chandelier in Hildesheim Cathedral. Regensburg (Schnell + Steiner) 2015, pp. 339–343.
• Mary with seven stars in the nimbus. Thoughts on the former collegiate church in Dießen on the occasion of its consecration 275 years ago . In: Yearbook Lech-Isar-Land 2015, pp. 229–242.
• The “ancient” church of St. Martin in Häder near Dießen am Ammersee - a revision . In: Yearbook Lech-Isar-Land 2013, pp. 237–258.
• The visualization of the visions. Apocalypse and fine arts. In: Hans-Georg Gradl (among others ed.): At the end of the days. Apocalyptic images in the Bible, art, music and literature. Regensburg (Pustet) 2011, pp. 124–141.
• Irony and satire. Thomas Mann and Thomas Theodor Heine. In: Dirk Heißerer (Ed.): Thomas Mann in Munich V. Lectures 2007–2009, documentation (= Thomas Mann series of publications, vol. 8). Munich 2010, pp. 115–164.
• Considerations on the method of material iconology. In: Aleksandra Lipinska (ed.): Material rzezby. Miedzy technika a semantyka. - Material of Sculpture. Between Technique and Semantics (= Acta Universitatis Wratislaviensis No 3156, Historia Sztuki XXIX). Wrocław 2009, pp. 217–228.
• Extra Bavariam nulla vita ? Reflections on a phrase. In: Schönere Heimat, 98th vol., 2009 / Heft 1, pp. 16-18.
• "A drinking dish including a little horse". The funnel as an element of traditional pilgrimage equipment. In: Bayerisches Jahrbuch für Volkskunde 2007 (memorial for Ingolf Bauer), pp. 169–173.
• "He was gifted in different ways". Paul Cassirer's Munich years (1893–1897). In: Rahel E. Feilchenfeldt and Thomas Raff (eds.): “A festival of the arts!” Paul Cassirer. The art dealer as publisher. Munich (CH Beck) 2006, pp. 43-57.
• The fourteen helper altar in Diessen's Joseph Chapel. In: Yearbook Lech-Isar-Land 2005, pp. 49–86.
• Decoration as a program or program as decoration? "Pictures" in the main building of the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich. In: Helge Gerndt and Michaela Haibl (eds.): The everyday picture. Perspectives of a folklore image science. Münster (Waxmann) 2005, pp. 333-353.
• Hodler's “The Spring”. For interpretation. In: Mario-Andreas von Lüttichau (Ed.): Ferdinand Hodler. "Spring" (= Folkwang 1 artwork). Essen 2005, pp. 42–59.
• The picture of poverty in the Middle Ages. In: Otto Gerhard Oexle (Hrsg.): Poverty in the Middle Ages (= lectures and research, published by the Constance Working Group for Medieval History 58). Ostfildern (Thorbecke) 2004, pp. 9–25.
• The devil Bitru, the taxil hoax and the "Simplicissimus". In: Quatuor Coronati Yearbook 2003 (No. 40). Edited by the Freemason Research Society and the Quatuor Coronati research lodge. Bayreuth 2003, pp. 217-234.
• The Meersburger Glaserhäusle and the Simplicissimus. In: all ends. Zeitschrift für Literatur 23, No. 72, September 2003, pp. 115-125.
• Iconologia delle materie. In: Enrico Castelnuovo and Giuseppe Sergi (eds.): Arti e storia nel Medioevo, Vol. 2 (Del costruire: tecniche, artisti, artigiani, committenti). Turin (Einaudi) 2003, pp. 395-416. (in cooperation with Norberto Gramaccini)
• Howling and chattering teeth. Thoughts on facial expressions in medieval art. In: Österreichische Zeitschrift für Volkskunde, NS Vol. LVI (105), 2002, pp. 375–388.
• Smile, laugh, show your teeth. Thoughts on changing facial expressions. An essay. In: Jahrbuch für Volkskunde, NF 24, 2001, pp. 163–188.
• The pigeon tower in Dießen am Ammersee. A monument from the time of the Thirty Years War. In: Yearbook Lech-Isar-Land 2000, pp. 35–54.
• So that luck doesn't fall out, or: How do you hang a horseshoe around? In: Daniel Drascek (et al. Ed.): Telling about places and times. A Festschrift for Helge Gerndt and Klaus Roth (= Munich Contributions to Folklore 24). Münster u. a. (Waxmann) 1999, pp. 325-343.
• Goethe and the granite . In: M. Ortmeier and W. Helm (eds.): Granit (Freilichtmuseum Finsterau) 1997, pp. 125-143.
• Tiepolo and Pittoni. The two Venetian altar paintings in the monastery church in Diessen. In: Yearbook Lech-Isar-Land 1996, pp. 25–47.
• Material iconology - material ideology: granite. In: Anzeiger des Germanisches Nationalmuseums and reports from the Forschungsinstitut für Realienkunde 1995, pp. 160–168.
• "Materia superat opus". Materials as carriers of meaning in medieval works of art. In: Herbert Beck and Kerstin Hengevoss-Dürkop (eds.): Studies on the history of European sculpture in the 12th / 13th centuries. Century (writings of the Liebieghaus). Frankfurt / M. 1994, pp. 17-28.
• The Munich Propylaea, a monument to the Greek struggle for freedom. In: Reinhard Heydenreuter (inter alia. Hgg.): The dreamy nation. Greece's rebirth in the 19th century. Munich 1993, pp. 195-207. (2nd edition 1995)
• The pilgrimage and consecration medals from the Schweizer pewter foundry in Diessen am Ammersee. A contribution to the manufacture and sale of devotional objects in the 18th and 19th centuries. In: Jahrbuch für Volkskunde, NF 11, 1988, pp. 134-218.
• 23 catalog texts in: Rudolf Frankenberger and Paul Berthold Rupp (eds.): Valuable manuscripts and bindings from the former Oettingen-Wallerstein library. Wiesbaden (Reichert) 1987
• "Pilgrimage knows no borders". Catalog for the exhibition of the same name in the Bavarian National Museum. Munich 1984 (editing and over 100 catalog texts)
• The "holy Kerámion" and "Christós the Antiphonetés". Reflections on two little-known types of images of Christ and their legends . In: Helge Gerndt (et al. Ed.): Dona Ethnologica Monacensia. Festschrift Leopold Kretzenbacher. Oldenbourg, Munich 1983, pp. 143-161.
• Carl Spitzweg draws a fountain in Diessen. In: Yearbook Lech-Isar-Land 1981, pp. 63–72.
• St. George as a boy savior. In: Münchner Zeitschrift für Balkankunde 3, 1980, pp. 113–126.
• Considerations for the entablature model of the Diessen church tower. In: Yearbook Lech-Isar-Land 1980, pp. 141–146.
• Two unknown depictions of the Diessen Monastery from the 16th and 17th centuries. In: Yearbook Lech-Isar-Land 1979, pp. 157–170.
• The iconography of medieval wind personifications. In: Aachener Kunstblätter 48, 1978/79, pp. 71-218. (= Dissertation)

Web links

• Literature by Thomas Raff in the catalog of the German National Library