Art Nouveau GlassClosed

Exhibition Overview

The collection of Gerda Koepff is considered one of Europe’s pre-eminent glass collections. It was donated to Dusseldorf’s Museum Kunstpalast, and now, for the first time, it is being exhibited outside of Germany in its entirety. Koepff, an industrialist, was drawn to beautiful objects, and began purchasing glassware as a diversion from her work. In time, her spirited curiosity led her to study the material properties of glass and glassware production techniques. She became an expert in the possibilities of the material, and used her keen aesthetic sensibilities and insight to build a first-class collection that embodied the essential qualities of art nouveau.

Parisian glass artists such as Eugène Rousseau, Ernest Leveille, Eugene Michel, and Auguste Jean are well represented in the collection. Their pieces show the marked influence of the Japonisme and Chinoiserie movements that played key roles in the origins of art nouveau. Also featured is Émile Gallé, who similarly studied and immersed himself in Asian art to develop his own distinctive style. Gallé became a powerful influence on his contemporaries, the Daum brothers, who in turn were assisted by designers and artisans such as Paul Nicolas, the Muller brothers, and Désiré Christian, who explored novel production methods through repeated trial and error. The Koepff collection presents a comprehensive overview of the brilliant works that resulted from this new art movement that took place primarily in Paris and Alsace-Lorraine.

By the late 19th century, scientific advances had raised glassmaking knowledge to a very high level. Artists enthusiastically sought new expressive qualities in the material, while glassmakers explored new techniques. The possibilities of glass were expanding faster than at any other time in history. This was partly due to the fierce competition that raged between glass factories and workshops as they fought to protect their designs, trademarks, and patents—glass was not a cheap material to produce or work with.

Koepff donated her priceless collection to Museum Kunstpalast on the condition that they continue to conduct and publish scholarly research into these glass artists. Their detailed studies have been invaluable in creating this exhibition, where 140 pieces from the collection will be presented to visitors in a way that traces the history of art nouveau glassware.

Exhibition Highlights

(Please note that exhibited pieces may change without notice)

Section I: Paris

The main characteristic of art nouveau glassware from Paris is the marked influence of East Asian aesthetics. Eugène Rousseau was a central figure in this movement, as was Felix Bracquemond, who discovered the Hokusai Manga. Together, they designed ceramic sets based on colorful Japanese wood-block prints.

Rousseau originally worked with ceramics, but in the late 1860s he became involved in glassware production. He collaborated with artists such as Eugene Michel—who was once a glassmaker—as well as the Appert brothers and Alphonse-Georges Reyen, sharing motifs and exchanging knowledge about working with glass.

Their works were informed by Japanese ukiyo-e prints and Chinese Qianlong-era glass, and are marked by a dense, sometimes even excessive exoticism, as well as a rich, colorful expressiveness.

Featured works

“Covered vase with mount” (ca. 1885 - 1889). Design: Eugène Rousseau, Paris. Production: Appert Brothers, Clichy. Stand and Lid: Pannier Brothers at L’Escalier de cristal, Paris. Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf.
“Vase with mounted elephant heads” (ca. 1883 - 1885). Design and Production: Unknown. Sold by: Pannier Brothers at L’Escalier de cristal, Paris. Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf.
“Vase with carp" (ca. 1900). Design and Decoration: Alphonse-Georges Reyen, Paris. Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf.
“Dish with bronze mount” (ca. 1875 - 1885). Design and Production: Unknown. Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf. Sketch for Ceramic Piece, Andre Metthey. Private collection, Meudon.
“Covered vase with mount” (ca.1885 - 1889) Design: Eugène Rousseau, Paris Production: Appert Brothers, Clichy Stand and Lid: Pannier Brothers at L’Escalier de cristal, Paris Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf © Museum Kunstpalast, Düusseldorf, Foto: Studio Fuis-ARTOTHEK
“Vase with mounted elephant heads” (ca. 1883 - 1885) Design and Production: Unknown Sold by: Pannier Brothers at L’Escalier de cristal, Paris Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf © Museum Kunstpalast, Düusseldorf, Foto: Studio Fuis-ARTOTHEK

Section II: Alsace-Lorraine

The birthplace of art nouveau glassware as represented by the works of Émile Gallé and the Daum brothers was the Alsace-Lorraine region in northeast France, primarily in and around Nancy. Long a center for handicraft industries, the region offered rich wood and mineral resources that made it a prime location for glass production. The beautiful natural scenery, meanwhile, provided artists with another source of inspiration that complemented their Asian influences.

Burgun, Schwerer & Cie—the renowned Meisenthal glassworks—worked in close cooperation with Gallé, helping to produce his pieces until he established his own glassworks. Désiré Christian in particular played a key role in the relationship. After working with Gallé, figures such as Louis Hestaux, Paul Nicolas, and the Muller brothers went on establish their own artistic careers, developing their own styles while remaining greatly influenced by Gallé’s realistically rendered animal and plant motifs.

The distinctive designing talents who worked for the Daum brothers, such as Henri Berger and Jacques Gruber, helped to establish the naturalistic style of the Daum glassworks, many of which featured flower and landscape motifs.

Featured works

“Rod-shaped vase” (ca. 1895). Émile Gallé, Nancy. Production: Burgun, Schwerer & Cie, Meisenthal. Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf.
“Vase with cuckoo and primroses” (ca. 1899/1900). Émile Gallé, Nancy. Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf.
“‘Champignons’ (mushrooms and toadstools) vase” (1907). Daum Brothers, Nancy. Based on a design by Henri Berger and Emile Wirtz. Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf.
“Broad-shouldered ‘Narcissus’ vase” (1897). Daum Brothers, Nancy. Design: Edmond Lachenal, Paris. Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf.
“High-shouldered ‘ellébore’ or ‘roses de noël’ (hellebore or Christmas roses) vase” (ca. 1900 - 1902). Daum Brothers, Nancy. Based on a design by Henri Berger. Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf.
“Plate with octopus” (ca. 1902 - 1904). Émile Gallé, Nancy. Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf.
“Lamp” (1920s). Émile Gallé, Nancy. Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf.
“Vase with handles and wisteria” (1898 - 1900). Émile Gallé, Nancy. Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf.
“‘Vigne et escargots’ (grapevine and snails) vase” (1904). Daum Brothers, Nancy. Based on a design by Henri Berger. Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf.
“Vase with columbines and silver mount” (ca. 1898 to 1900). Daum Brothers, Nancy. Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf.
“Footed bowl” (ca. 1903). Émile Gallé, Nancy. Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf “Vase with cuckoo and primroses” (ca. 1899/1900) Émile Gallé, Nancy Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf © Museum Kunstpalast, Düusseldorf, Foto: Studio Fuis-ARTOTHEK
“‘Vigne et escargots’ (grapevine and snails) vase” (1904) Daum Brothers, Nancy; based on design by Henri Berger Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf © Museum Kunstpalast, Düusseldorf, Foto: Walter Klein