Gerhard Munthe (1855 – 1929) was a Norwegian Textile, Furniture Designer
Education
He studied painting in Oslo under J.F. Eckersberg, Knud Bergslien, and Julius Middeltun in 1874 in Düsseldorf.
Biography
Between 1877-82, he lived in Munich. He dabbled with Arts and Crafts-inspired ornamental art beginning in the 1890s. Together with Erik Werenskiold, whom he had met in Munich, he worked on illustrating Snorri Sturluson’s books from 1896 until 1899. Large tapestries were made from several of his creations. He also built gigantic decorations and created a home in Lysaker, which was destroyed by fire in 1982. Some of these decorations have since been lost.
As a pictorial artist, he brought about a break with historicism in Norway. Drawing on Norwegian folk art and poetry, he illustrated books and designed tapestries for firms, including DNB (Det Norske Billedvaveri). He illustrated the deluxe edition of Snorr’s Saga of the Norwegian Kings (1899). Munthe’s 1892 dinner service, produced by Porsgrunds Porselaensfabrik, was based on a nature-oriented theme rather than a historical approach. His 1895 furniture for the Holmenkollen Turisthotell had dragons in the pierced backs of wooden armchairs.
Recognition
He won a gold medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle.’ From 1892 to 1905, he served on the board of the National Gallery of Norway, and from 1897 until his death, he served on the board of Den Norske Husflidsforening. From 1905 to 1907, he served as chair of the National Gallery. He received the titles of Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, Knight of the Danish Dannebrog, and Polar Star of Sweden.
Sources
Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing. https://amzn.to/3ElmSlL
Gerhard Munthe – chair – Newspapers.com. (1982, December 12). Newspapers.Com; http://www.newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106638248/gerhard-munthe-chair/
Wikipedia contributors. (2022, May 20). Gerhard Munthe. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:40, July 31, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gerhard_Munthe&oldid=1088787933
More on Textile Designers
-
The Tapestry of Ruth Malinowski: A Beacon of Danish Art
Renowned Danish artist Ruth Malinowski, born in 1928 in Vienna, Austria, has a compelling story that transcends boundaries. Her artistry, profoundly manifested in her tapestry work, marries traditional weaving techniques with contemporary designs, leaving an indelible impact on the art world. Read More →
-
Georgina von Etzdorf: A British Design Icon
Georgina von Etzdorf is a British designer known for her exclusive prints in various media, specializing in textile, fashion, furniture, and product design. Her career took off in the 1980s, from printing designs in her parents’ garage to establishing a shop in London’s prestigious Burlington Arcade. Von Etzdorf’s training in traditional craft techniques and her…
-
Anni Albers (1899 – 1994) German Textile Designer, artist and teacher
Anni Albers was a German Textile Designer, artist and teacher. She was born in Berlin and was the Wife of Josef Albers.Read More →
-
Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen: Shaping 20th Century Architecture
The post discusses the life and work of Finnish architect Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen, including his architectural accomplishments, influence on modernism in America, and his contributions to furniture and textile design. His emphasis on holistic and contextual design and his distinct aesthetic vision are notable.Read More →
-
Gerhard Munthe (1855-1929) Norwegian textile, furniture, Interior Designer
Between 1877-82, he lived in Munich. As a pictorial artist, he brought about the break with historicism in Norway. Drawing on Norwegian folk art and poetry, he illustrated books and designed tapestries for firms including DNB (Det Norske Billedvaveri).Read More →
-
Sonia Delaunay (1885 – 1979) An Explorer of Colour
Sonia Delaunay (1885-1979), an interior and textile designer, revolutionized the use of color in the arts. Her collaboration with Robert Delaunay led to the development of Simultaneous Color, emphasizing vibrant hues. She commercialized her talent and designed geometric costumes, opened La Casa Sonia, and created popular textile patterns. During the 1930s Depression, she returned to…
-
Dagobert Peche (1887 – 1923) Austrian artist and designer
He devised wholly new, amusing forms, frequently in simple materials like tole and cardboard; the conditions caused by World War I dictated the use of low-cost raw materials. Read More →
-
Hiroshi Awatsuji (1929 – 1995) Japanese Textile Designer
Hiroshi Awatsuji (1929- 1995) was a Japanese textile and graphic designer: born in Kyoto. He was considered the first Japanese textile designer to be recognised for contemporary design rather than for traditional art and craft. The main characteristic of his work was over sized motifs.Read More →
-
Hunter Eileen (1909 – 1979) British Textile Designer and Writer
British textile designer and writer, Eileen Hunter, revolutionized the industry with her vibrant colors and innovative patterns. Equally skilled in literature, she contributed insightful articles and books, challenging norms in a male-dominated industry.Read More →
-
Sheila Hicks (b.1934), American Textile Designer
Sheila Hicks, an influential American textile designer, explores fibre art, exploring boundaries between art, design, and craft, collaborating with artisans and communities. Hicks, a French textile artist, combines traditional techniques with contemporary sensibility, creating large-scale installations, wall hangings, sculptures, and installations. Her work explores texture, color, form, and challenges traditional notions of textile art.Read More…
-
Robert Yorke Goodden (1909-2002) British Architect Designer
He was in private practice since 1932. Wallpapers, domestic machine-pressed glassware for Chance Bros., 1953 coronation hangings for Westminster Abbey, gold and silverwares, ceremonial metalwork, glassware for King’s College, Cambridge, 1961 metal-foil murals for the oceanliner Canberra, engraved and sandblasted glass murals for Pilkington. Read More →
-
Annie Coop – Australian Textile Studio
Annie Coop, an Australian textile studio, offers bright, intricate, and lively fabric designs having both whimsical and sophisticated aspects, created by Sydney-based designer Annie Cooper. The print-to-order textiles are suitable for home and commercial designs.Read More →
-
Helen Abson (b.1942) Australian Architect and Fabric Designer
Helen Abson, who trained as an architect, is an Australian designer. She pursued architecture for five years; founded ZAB Design where she designed fabrics that exhibited a preoccupation for texture achieved through pattern and colour.Read More →
-
Tammis Keefe (1913 – 1960) American Textile Designer
Tammis Keefe (1913–1960) was an American textile designer. She designed everything from dish towels to glassware in her airy Dorothy Leibis Studio. Her work can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cooper Hewitt and the Fashion Institute of Technology.Read More →
-
Ruth Reeves (1892 – 1966) American Textile Designer
Her works were influenced by current innovations in France, such as Cubism, when she returned to the United States in 1927. The American Designers’ Gallery in New York hosted Reeves’ debut exhibition, which featured textiles. Read More →
-
Boris Kroll (1913 – 1991) American Textile Designer
In 1938, he founded Cromwell Designs, which began by weaving Modern furniture fabrics on a handloom with a bathtub for dying yarns. He began employing power looms in 1939. Boris Kroll Fabrics, New York, was founded by him in 1946. Cotton and novelty spun rayon was used.Read More →
-
Shirley Craven (b.1934) British Textile Designer
Shirley Craven (b.1934) was a British textile designer. She studied at Kingston upon Hull and the Royal College of Art, London. Craven ‘pioneered an aesthetic more akin to painting than textiles’, breaking ‘all the rules’.Read More →
-
Marion Dorn (1896 – 1964) American Textile Designer
American textile designer Marion Dorn (1896–1964) is best known for creating wall hangings, carpeting, and rugs, but she is also known to have created wallpaper, graphics, and illustrations.Read More →
-
Junichi Arai (1932 – 2017), Japanese textile designer and producer
Junichi Arai (1932 – 2017) was a Japanese textile designer and producer born in Kiryu, Gunma. As the sixth generation of a mill-owning family, Arai grew up with fabrics being woven for obis and kimonos. He held traditional weaving methods in high regard and the skills that only the human hand can have in the…
-
André Groult (1884 – 1967) French interior designer
André Groult (1884 – 1967) was a French interior designer and furniture designer who contributed to the Art Deco movement. Curving and organic shapes, as well as vibrant materials, characterised his work. As a result, his art has been described as a blend of tradition and modernism.Read More →
-
Elizabeth Peacock (1880 – 1969) British textile designer
She was best known for the eight banners commissioned by Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst for the Great Hall in Dartington between 1934 and 1938. She was a spinner, dyer, and weaver and an outstanding teacher from 1940 until 1957.Read More →
-
Otti Berger (1898 – 1944) Bauhaus Designer weaver
Otti Berger was a Bauhaus designer, weaver, teacher, and head of the Bauhaus Weaving Workshop. Berger was the only textile artist at the Bauhaus who was well-known internationally, and her inventions were granted patents.Read More →
-
Enid Crystal Dorothy Marx (1902 – 1998) British textile and graphic designer
Designs for London Underground seats. She studied painting and wood engraving at the Royal College of Art in London, as well as at the Central School of Arts and Crafts.Read More →
-
Alastair J.F. Morton (1910 – 1963) British textile Manufacturer
Morton joined his family’s Morton Sundour Fabrics in 1931 and oversaw the company’s first screen-printed fabrics. He was the artistic director and principal designer of Edinburgh Weavers in Carlisle, which was established in 1928 as Morton Sundour’s creative design unit from 1932 to 1935. From the 1930s, he was a supporter of the Modern movement,…
-
Jacqueline Groag (1903 – 1986) Czech textile designer
Jacqueline Groag (1903 – 1986) was a Czech textile designer and ceramicist. Born in Prague she studied in Vienna at the Kunstgewerbeschule during the 1920s. In 1937 she moved to Paris where she designed dress prints for Jeanne Lanvin, Elsa Schiparelli and others.Read More →
-
Lucienne Day (1917 – 2010), influential 🇬🇧 textile designer
Lucienne Day was one of the most influential post-war British textile designers. She developed a unique style of pattern making. Read More →
-
Laura Ashley (1926 – 1988) British fabric and fashion designer
Laura Ashley was one of the first British designers to experiment with the concept of lifestyle marketing. Her romantic vision of nineteenth-century rural life, adapted to modern domestic realities, inspired a generation of middle-class Britons who returned to country life in the 1960s and 1970s. LEARN MORERead More →
-
Minnie Macleish (1876 – 1957 ) British textile designer
She collaborated with Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Constance Irving at London’s Foxton textiles and Amsterdam’s Metz store. Macleish was a prolific designer during the 1920s and 1930s, creating patterns for Morton Sundour fabrics.Read More →
-
Margaret Leischner (1908 – 1970) German textile designer
She began teaching weaving at the Bauhaus in 1931. She worked at the Dresdener Deutsche Werkstatten in 1931, designing woven textiles, and was the head of the weaving department at the Berlin Modeschule from 1932 to 1936. She worked as the head designer for Gateshead, a British fabric manufacturer.Read More →
-
Masakazu Kobayashi (b.1944) Japanese textile designer
Masakazu Kobayashi studied at the University of Arts, Kyoto, Japan. He manifested traditional textile techniques and aesthetics in his work. Between 1966 and 1975, he worked as a textile designer for Kawashima. His 1982 fabric evoked komon, a textile dyeing technique which uses paper patterns with small motifs.Read More →
-
Judith Leiber (1921 – 2018) American designer of handbags
Judith Leiber (1921 – 2018) was a prolific designer whose fanciful minaudières had accessorised royalties, first ladies, and film stars, and entered the collections of art the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While her couture handbags—carried by celebrities such as Greta Garbo, Elizabeth Taylor, Claudette Colbert, Björk, and Barbara Walters—are widely regarded as works of art,…
-
Marjatta Metsovaara (1927 – 2014) Finnish Textile Designer
Metsovaara’s style ranged from designs made up of organic forms in vibrant hues to muted neutral tones. She designed for 10 mills in Finland and abroad by 1967, and she made both printed and woven textiles. She ran her design studio and weaving mill in Urjala, Finland.Read More →
-
Armi Ratia (1912 – 1979) co-founder Marimekko
Ammi Maria Ratia (1912 – 1979) was the co-founder of Marimekko Oy (‘Mary’s frock’) Clothing was created to free women from 1950s’ tight, body-shaping dresses and move them into fresh, free-flowing dresses, skirts, trousers, and shirts.Read More →
-
Benno Premsela (1920 – 1997) Dutch textile and exhibition designer
Benno Premsela (1920 – 1997) was a Dutch textile and exhibition designer. He studied interior design at the Nieuwe Kunstschool, Amsterdam. Read More →
-
Zandra Rhodes (b.1940), British fashion and textile designer
Zandra Rhodes studied lithography and printing at Medway College before going on to the Royal College of Art to study textiles, graduating in 1964 during the height of the pop movement. She made a paper wedding dress that cost less than two shillings, motivated by this trend and the work of painter Roy Lichtenstein in…
-
Gunnel Gustafsson Nyman (1909 – 1948) Finnish glass and textile designer
Nyman worked for all the great Finnish glass manufacturers of the 20th century: Riihimaki from 1932—47, Nuutajarvi-Notsjo from 1946—48, and Karhula from 1935—37 (and at littala from 1946—47). She designed for both production and studio glass.Read More →
-
Group of Ten (est. 1970) 🇸🇪 design collective promoting creative individuality
Because its members had previous careers in the textile industry, they wanted to be free to promote their creative ideas. Read More →
-
A short history of wallpaper
Before 1840, nearly all the world’s wallpaper came from France, where it was hand-printed, using blocks and sheets of paper to produce a limited line of patterns. Making wallpaper by hand was a costly process, and only the very wealthy could afford to buy it.Read More →
-
Gertrud Preiswerk 🇨🇭 Swiss textile designer
Gertrud Preiswerk was a Swiss textile designer she was born in Basel. Between 1926 and 1930, she trained in-the weavingRead More →
-
Oskar Petrovich Gryun (1874 – 1931) Russian 🇷🇺Textile Designer
Oskar Petrovich Gryun (1874 – 1931) was a Russian Textile Designer. Education He studied at the Central Art Institute ofRead More →
-
Katsuji Wakisaka ( b.1944 ) 🗻 Japanese Textile Designer
Katsuji Wakisaka is a Japanese textile designer. Between 1960 -1963 he studied textile design in Kyoto.Read More →
-
Jack Lenor Larsen (1927 – 1920) American Textile Designer
He opened his workshop in New York in 1952 and received his first commission, from the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, for draperies for 1952 Lever House, New York. At this time, he began machine-weaving fabrics that had the appearance of handweaving; they were subsequently much imitated. Read More →
-
Peter McCulloch (b.1933) British textile designer
In the early 1960s, he taught at the Falmouth School of Art in Cornwall. Some of his textiles incorporated contrasting colors in small dots suggesting printed circuitry, as in his 1963 Cruachan fabric produced by Hull Traders.Read More →
-
Allan Walton (1891 – 1948) British painter, decorator, architect and textile designer
He commissioned some of the most innovative screen prints of the 1930s, designed by Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, as a principle of Allan Walton Fabrics. Read More →
-
Marie Teinitzer (1879 – 1960) Czech textile artist and producer
Marie Teinitzerová was born in a little town near Pelhimov called kov. However, she and her parents soon relocated to Jindichv Hradec. In Vienna and Brno, she studied painting. She attended the School of Applied Arts in Prague from 1905 to 1906, then a weaving school in Berlin in 1906. Her research tour took her…
-
Nanna Ditzel (1923 – 2005) Danish architect and furniture designer
Nanna Ditzel, a leading Danish 20th-century designer, had also worked in furniture, textiles and jewellery design for many decades and has been one of the few women designers in the country to achieve celebrity status.Read More →
-
Marimekko: 50 Postcard Collection – Scandinavian Design
Marimekko has released a 50 postcard collection featuring the brand’s iconic vibrant designs. Aimed at design enthusiasts, the collection offers an affordable way to own a piece of Marimekko’s cherished patterns serving as both postcards and decorative wall art.Read More →
-
Marimekko Sticky Notes – To-Dos (Marimekko x Chronicle Books)
Marimekko Sticky Notes & To-Dos is a collaboration with Chronicle Books, combining Finnish design with task management tools. These stylish, patterned notes and flags brighten everyday tasks, merging organization with iconic aesthetics.Read More →
-
Owen Jones (1809-1874) British architect & Designer
Owen Jones was a 19th-century British architect and designer renowned for his Arabic-influenced ornamentation. Notably, he served as the Superintendent of Works at the 1851 Great Exhibition and joint director of the Crystal Palace’s decoration. His most influential work is the book ‘The Grammar of Ornament’. Read More →
-
Alexander Girard (1907 – 1993) American interior, & Textile designer
Alexander Girard (1907 – 1993) was a man of many design talents. He trained as an architect, and he practisedRead More →
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.