Adolf Amberg, the German sculptor, was indeed a diverse artist. Notably, his contributions to German art, particularly in sculpture and design, continue to be celebrated today. Furthermore, from his early days of training in Berlin and Paris to his seminal works for well-known factories, his skill spanned various mediums and themes. Consequently, this post delves into his life, his partnerships, and his lasting legacy.
Adolf Amberg German Sculptor – Early Life and Training
Born in 1874, Adolf Amberg displayed a proclivity for the arts from an early age. His artistic journey took him to Berlin and Paris, two cities known for their rich creative traditions. The training he received in these capitals would significantly shape his future works.
The Bruckmann & Sohn Era: Crafting Elegance in Silverware
From 1894 to 1904, Amberg collaborated with Bruckmann & Sohn factory in Heilbronn. During this period, he created numerous decorative objects and silverware that showed his keen eye for detail and his ability to marry form with function.
German Music: A Monumental Silvered Fountain
The large silver fountain, named “German Music,” stands out as one of Amberg’s most iconic works during his tenure with Bruckmann & Sohn. Collaborating with architect Otto Rieth, he crafted this masterpiece, which became a focal point at the 1900 Paris World Fair. The fountain serves as proof of Amberg’s talent in producing art pieces that are not only attractive to the eye but also imbued with cultural significance.
A Foray into Porcelain: The Berlin Years
After his stint with Bruckmann & Sohn, Amberg shifted his attention to working with porcelain. Between 1904 and 1905, he collaborated with a Berlin-based porcelain factory, applying his sculpting talents to the delicate realm of porcelain design.
The Wedding Procession: A Monumental Centrepiece
During his time in Berlin, Adolf Amberg, the German sculptor, created centrepiece called the “Wedding Procession.” His artwork portrayed a wide range of characters, including individuals of different genders, and drew inspiration from various cultural and thematic influences. The details and thorough craftsmanship in this piece established Amberg as a versatile artist skilled in various forms of art.
Sources
Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing. https://amzn.to/3ElmSlL
More German Designers
-
The Berlin Underground Signage: Tradition and Technology
Erik Spiekermann and MetaDesign successfully modernized Berlin’s underground signage by blending tradition and technology, continuing the modernist legacy in typography. The resultant information system is efficient, visually appealing, and highly acclaimed. Further enhancements, including interactive information kiosks, are ongoing.Read More →
-
Fred Lowen: A Pioneer in Australian Furniture Design
Fred Lowen, a German-Australian designer and Holocaust survivor, left a significant legacy in Australian design. His celebrated collections including SC Series, Narvik, Fleronde and Twen, intertwine personal history, aesthetics, and functionality. His life and work represents the transformative power of design. Read More →
-
Ulrike Brandi Licht (b.1957), Trailblazing German Lighting Designer
Ulrike Brandi, a German lighting designer, has made a significant impact in the field of design with her innovative creations. From her early education in literature to studying industrial design under notable mentors, Brandi’s journey led her to become an independent consultant and lighting designer. Her notable projects include the design of a solar-powered light…
-
Bruno Paul (1874 – 1968), German Architect and Designer
Bruno Paul (1874 – 1968) was a German architect, cabinetmaker, designer, and teacher. He was born in Seifhennersdorf. He studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule, Dresden, from 1886 and painting at the Akademie fur Kunst, Munich, under Paul Hocker and Wilhelm von Diez, from 1894. Read More →
-
Claus Luthe: A Visionary Automobile Designer from Germany
Explore the remarkable career of Claus Luthe, an influential German automobile designer, known for his innovative contributions to iconic brands such as NSU, Audi-NSU, and BMW. Discover Luthe’s design language, including the iconic “bathtub” shape and the revolutionary wedge form, which left an indelible mark on the automotive industry. Learn about his role in shaping…
-
Peter Raacke (b.1928) German metalworker and designer
Hessische Metallwerke commissioned Raacke to produce metal cutlery, kitchen equipment, and cookware, most notably his “Mono-a” line (v-33), with silverware available in stainless steel and sterling silver.Read More →
-
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 →
-
Masterful Craftsmanship and Modern Ornamentation: The Legacy of Erna Zarges-Dürr, German Silversmith
Erna Zarges-Dürr (1907-2002) was a German silversmith. She was professionally active Pforzheim, Leipzig, Berlin. and Stuttgart. Between 1924-27, she trained at Bruckmann und Söhne, Heilbronn, as the first women in the silversmiths’ department. From 1927, she studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule, Pforzheim, under Theodor Wende and others. Read More →
-
Walther Klemm: The Master of Monochromatic Woodblock Prints
Walther Klemm (1883-1957), a German painter, printmaker, and illustrator, was known for his monochromatic woodblock prints, particularly of animals. This article delves into Klemm’s life, from his early years in Karlsbad to his recognition at the Vienna Secession Exhibition and his professorship at the University of Fine Arts in Weimar. Celebrated for his unique interpretation…
-
Wolf Karnagel: A Visionary German Designer and Teacher
Wolf Karnagel, a renowned German designer and teacher, has made significant contributions to the world of design. His versatile portfolio includes iconic glass ranges, such as “Joy” and “Pandio,” as well as the sterling silver flatware collection “Epoca.” Karnagel’s designs have been featured in prestigious publications and have earned him recognition globally. In addition to…
-
Albert Reimann (1874 – 1971) German metalworker and educator
Albert and his wife Klara Reimann founded the Schülerwerkstatten für Kleinplastik (School for Small Sculpture) in Berlin in 1902. Reimann was a gifted craftsman who created prototypes to produce bronze, copper, silver, gold, and pottery. Read More →
-
Frei Otto (1925 – 2015) German Architect designs that soared
The late German architect Frei Otto’s work can be seen all over the world in pavilions and sports stadiums. His impact on the Olympics is huge, from the design of Rio’s Maracana stadium to the tent-like roofs he made for Munich in 1972. He influenced a generation of British architects, including Norman Foster, Michael Hopkins…
-
Lange Gerd (b.1931): A Trailblazing German Designer
Lange Gerd, a trailblazing German designer, made a significant impact on the design industry through his furniture and lighting design expertise. Born in 1931 in Wuppertal, Gerd studied at the Werkkunstschule and began his career in 1964. He collaborated with renowned manufacturers and exhibited his work in influential exhibitions, such as the ‘Die gute Industrieform’…
-
Frog Design: A Pioneer in Humanising the Artificial Environment
Frogdesign made a global impact in the 1980s by virtue of its products’ visual expressiveness and ergonomic success, traits that attracted an extensive and prestigious client listRead More →
-
Otl Aicher (1922 – 1991), German industrial and graphic designer
From 1946 to 1947, Otl Aicher (1922 – 1991) attended the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. He later became closely affiliated with Ulm’s highly influential and radical Hochschule Für Gestaltung after founding a studio there the following year.Read More →
-
Hans Poelzig (1869-1936), German architect and designer
Hans Poelzig (1869-1936) was a German architect and designer who studied at Technische Hochschule, Berlin Charlottenburg and Technische Hocschule, Berlin. He worked in Breslau, Dresden, Preussiche Akademie der Kiinste in Berlin, and became a professor at the Technische Hochschule in Berlin Charlottenburg. He was influenced by Expressionism, Reinhardt’s Schumann Circus, and the Grosses Schauspielhaus in…
-
Paul Haustein – Versatile Master of the Decorative Arts
Paul Haustein, born in 1880, gained fame through his versatile skills, such as enamelwork and metalworking. He worked for prestigious companies, taught metalworking, and his innovative design, like his lauded Art Deco tureen, influenced design movements significantly.Read More →
-
Jugendstil: An Exploration of an Artistic Style
Jugendstil, an artistic style that originated around the mid-1890s in Germany and persisted throughout the first decade of the 20th century. READ MORRead More →
-
Lilly Reich (1885 – 1947) – German Interior Designer
Lilly Reich was a German interior designer and furniture and exhibition designer who studied embroidery and collaborated with Else Oppler-Legband. Reich’s professional relationship with Mies van der Rohe began with the 1927 ‘Weissenhof-Siedlung’ exhibition, and she designed interiors and furniture for the 1936 of Dr Facius in Berlin-Dahlem and 1939 furniture for Dr Schäppi’s apartment…
-
Walter Gropius (1883 – 1969) is the history of modern architecture
Walter Gropius (1883 – 1969) was an architect born in Germany in the early twentieth century who contributed to the founding of the Bauhaus School. He lived in the United States after 1937 and taught at Harvard University, where he continued to defend the principles of Bauhaus, especially the use of functional materials and clean…
-
Anchor Blocks – 19th Century construction toy
Anchor Blocks were a German system of building blocks that were popular as a children’s construction toy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, notably in Europe. Dr F. Ad. Richter in Rudolstadt, Germany, began developing and manufacturing the system in 1879. The concept was based on the FROEBEL block system, which significantly impacted…
-
Peter Behrens (1868 – 1940) – German architect/designer
Peter Brehens (1868 – 1940) was a German graphic artist, architect and designer. He studied at the Karlsruhe and in Düsseldorf and Munich.Read More →
-
AEG – German Lighting Firm – Est. 1883
Engineer Emil Rathenau founded AEG as the Deutsche Edison Gesellschaft für angewandte Elektrizitäts (DEG) two years after seeing Edison’s lighting at the Paris Exposition Internationale de l’Electricité in 1881.Read More →
-
Ingo Maurer (1932 – 2019) – industrial designer – Poet of Light
Ingo Maurer was a German industrial designer who specialised in the development of lighting fixtures and installations. “Poet of Light” was his nickname.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 →
-
Friedrich Adler (1878 – 1942), German sculptor and designer
First designer to work with bakelite Friedrich Adler (1878 – 1942) was a German designer, educator, and artist. He was well-known for his work in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco genres of metals design. He was also the first to employ bakelite in his designs. He created his designs with a wide range of…
-
Million Mark Note – Design Classic
The Bauhaus was the most well-known design school of the 20th century. Herbert Bayer created notes in denominations of one million, two million, and two billion. The designs exemplify the ideology of hardline Modern Movement graphics.Read More →
-
Herbert Bayer (1900 – 1985) – Universal Typeface – Bauhaus Master
The universal typeface, 1925, was a geometric alphabet based on bar and circle and was designed by Herbert Bayer. READ MORERead More →
-
Theodor Bogler (1897-1968) German ceramicist and designer
Theodor Bogler (1897 – 1968) studied at the Bauhaus and the University of Munich. He designed a 1923 mocha machine in ceramics for serial production. His earthenware kitchen containers by Velten-Vordamm ceramic factory were shown at the Bauhaus Exhibition.Read More →
-
Arzberg Porcelain – prestigious German design
Arzberg is regarded as one of the most prestigious porcelain design houses in the world. The definition of good design. Arzberg combines aesthetics, functionality, and durability.Read More →
-
Hermann Junger (b.1928) Bauhaus influenced jewellery
Hermann Junger was one of the best goldsmiths in Germany. His creative jewellery had a big impact not only in Germany, but also all over Europe and the U.S. He studied at the Staatliche Zeichenakademie, Hanau.Read More →
-
Christian Dell (1893 – 1974) German metalworker designer
Christian Dell (1893–1974) was a German silversmith. Dell was born in Hesse’s Offenbach am Main. In the 1920s, Dell ran the metal workshop at the Bauhaus University, and his designs are, in line with the Bauhaus style, characterised by modern shapes and functionality. After his successful stint as an industrial designer, Dell returned in the…
-
Hermann Zapf (1918 – 2015) German Typographer and Calligrapher
Hermann Zapf (1918 – 2015) was born and educated in Nuremberg. Gudrun Zapf-von Hesse, a calligrapher and typeface designer, was his wife. Palatino, Optima, and Zapfino are some of the typefaces he developed.Read More →
-
Trude Petri-Raben (1906 – 1989) German Ceramicist
From 1927 she studied porcelain at Verinigdten Staatsshulen für freie und angewandte Kunst (United State Schools for Free and Applied Arts), Berlin, and Staatliche Porzellan-Manufakture, Berlin (Royal Porcelain Factory, Berlin).Read More →
-
Otto Zapf German product and furniture designer
Otto Zapf has created an essential system of furniture designs. Including the Zapf Office System by Knoll and 7500 workstations by Pacific Telesis. He and Dieter Rams designed their first furniture in the 1960s and 1970s.Read More →
-
Franz Rickert (1904-1991) German Silversmith
He worked as a silversmith from 1926 and became one of the most important silversmiths in Munich and an outstanding enameler. 1935-72, he taught at the Staatsschule (later Akademie) fur angewandte Kunst in Munich. In the 1950s and 1960s, he designed numerous religious objects.Read More →
-
Ferdinand Kramer (1898 – 1985) German Architect and Designer
Kramer’s father was the owner of the most well-known of Frankfurt hat shops. In 1916, immediately after school, Kramer was drawn into military service and remained a soldier through the end of the First World War. The following year he trained at the Bauhaus for a few months before quitting, disillusioned with the technical level…
-
Hermann Gretsch (1895 – 1950) designer for Arzberg
Hermann Gretsch was a German architect, engineer and product designer. In the 1930s, Gretsch worked for the Porzellanfabrik Arzberg.Read More →
-
Konstantin Grcic Unveils – CUP Chair For Plank | 🇩🇪 German Design
For travellers, the benefits of plastic shell suitcases have come to be appreciated. They are extremely light and flexible, yet powerful and good looking. Suitcases made of thin vacuum-formed plastic sheets have completely transformed the product category. As a designer of the furniture, Konstantin Grcic was surprised by this ingenuity and the suitability of the…
-
Emmy Roth (1885 – 1942) German / Israeli Silversmith
In 1916, she established her workshop in Berlin-Charlottenburg. Her early work was influenced by the Baroque, but her later work was more straightforward, as evidenced by her fruit dish in The Studio, 1929.Read More →
-
Oscar Barnack (1879 – 1936) and the first 35mm camera
The Leica 1, the first functional 35 mm camera, was introduced in Germany in 1925, making photography much more accessible to the general public.Read More →
-
Wilhelm Wagenfeld (1900 – 1990) German architect and industrial designer
He was an assistant lecturer at the Bauhaus in Weimar from 1922 to 1929, where he primarily designed lighting fixtures. Read More →
-
Klaus Moje (1936 – 2016) German Glass Designer
Around 1975, Moje began cutting the rods into thin wafers or strips and fusing them in a kiln. The pieces would then be cut again and re-fused to create rhythmic patterns of vibrant colour. In 1976, Moje returned to Hamburg after living in Danzinger Strasse. Read More →
-
Winold Reiss (1886-1953) German artist and designer
Influenced by the international modern art movements that had recently swept across Europe, he blended cubism, which used geometric shapes to create abstract images, and fauvism, which favoured the use of bold colours to suggest shapes, with interest in ethnography to create a unique style of portraiture that sought to reveal the subject more thoroughly…
-
Hugo Leven (1874 – 1956) German Sculptor and Metalsmith
Leven studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule and then at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. He worked in his father Louis Leven’s studio for a time, had numerous contacts with French artists who had a strong influence on him, and quickly became known. Engelbert Kayser hired him as the first employee in his studio. From 1895 to 1904,…
-
WMF – Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik (1853)
The outbreak of the Second World War created significant difficulties during the early stages of restoration, leading to the closure of the NKA (Contemporary Products Department), but by the early 1950s, the company was back on track. Many of Wilhelm Wagenfeld’s WMF creations date from these years. Read More →
-
Michael Boehm (b.1944) German Glassware and Ceramics Designer
Boehm joined Rosenthal in 1966. His limited-edition Reticelli range illustrated his interest in Italian glass by incorporating cotton twist threads in the molten glass-like 17th-century Venetian vessels. Read More →
-
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886 – 1969) German architect and designer
Between 1905 and 1907, he worked as an apprentice to architect and furniture designer Bruno Paul in Berlin, where he studied wooden furniture design. He created furniture for all of his early homes, including the Werner residence.Read More →
-
Carl Hugo Pott (1906 – 1985) – German Metalworker & Silversmith
Carl Pott studied design and metallurgy at technical school in Solingen and Forschungsinitut unf Profieramt für Edelmetalle, Schwäbisch-Gmünd.Read More →
-
The brains and Braun of designer Dieter Rams
The way Dieter Rams tell it good design boils down to something as simple durability. Okay, not durability alone. A Well-designed piece is so self-explanatory that figuring out how to use it as simple as looking at it. And a design develops from the inside out because it involves not only aesthetics but also function.Read…
-
Josef Albers (1888 – 1976) – German painter, designer, theoretician, and teacher
Josef Albers believed Art, he felt, is seeing, and he believed that his contemporaries had not done a good job of this.Read More →
-
Alfons Bach (1904 – 1999) German Industrial Designer
In New York City, Bach planned the remodelling of Sach’s and the Seneca Textile Building. His work was shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in early contemporary industrial art shows. In Stamford, Connecticut, he created his own home in 1938. He oversaw the construction of the Ridgeway Center, one of the country’s earliest shopping…
-
Rasch Brothers German Wallpaper Manufacturer
After WWII, the company maintained its progressive edge with the sale of beautiful wallpapers by designers such as Lucienne Day, Salvador Dal, Shinkichi Tajiri, and Bruno Munari. The firm released their Zeitwande (Timewalls) wallpaper line in 1992, which featured designs by Ron Arad, Ettore Sottsass, Alessandro Mendini, Borek Spek, and Matteo Thun.Read More →
-
Marianne Brandt (1893–1983) German painter designer and metalworker
The modernist German designer Marianne Brandt was one of the few women associated with the Bauhaus to make her reputation outside the traditional arts and crafts sectors related to women such as textiles, weaving and pottery. Read More →
-
Tea and coffee set by Marguerite Friedlander
She designed the Hallesche Form tea and coffee set for KPM in 1930, which was a huge commercial success, especially with Trude Petri’s gold rings (1931) decor.Read More →
-
Walter Gropius Bauhaus Artwork T-Shirt (Short and Long-Sleeve)
This lovely tee is inspired by the work of the German architect Walter Gropius. He founded the Bauhaus School and, along with Alvar Aalto, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modernist architecture.Read More →
-
Bauhaus Wall Art Print – Herbert Bayer and Walter Gropius
The Bauhaus exhibition of 1923 was the first public presentation of the Bauhaus art movement founded as an art school in 1919. From August 15 to September 30, 1923, it took place at three locations in Weimar and showed works created at the BauhausRead More →
-
“Arbeitsrat für Kunst” art and architecture group in Germany
The Arbeitsrat für Kunst (Workers’ Council for Art) was an art and architecture organisation in Germany.Read More →
-
Ernst Riegel (1871 – 1939) a German metalsmith
Ernst Riegel 1871 – 1939) was a metalsmith from Germany. He was active in Munich, Darmstadt, and Cologne after being born in Münnerstadt.Read More →
-
Table Lamp by Wilhelm Wagenfeld & Carl Jakob Jucker
This object, known as the “Bauhaus lamp,” embodies the essential idea—form follows function—of the influential Bauhaus School, founded in 1919Read More →