A German opens an influential gallery in Paris designed by Henvy van de Velde - and his name is not Siegfried Bing.
Julius Meier-Graefe (1867-1935) opened La Maison Moderne, a gallery of Art Nouveau, four years after Bing's successful launch of L'Art Nouveau Bing. When La Maison Moderne opened its doors in September of 1899, it was intended to cater to a younger clientele for whom influence of Asian art was a given and could be extended to innovation at home. The posters by Manuel Orazi and Maurice Biais are now better known than the gallery they advertised. Both are exceeding cleverly in the way that they wrap their human subjects into displays of art works for sale, suggesting how easily and pleasantly they could become part of your home, too.
Although La Maison Moderne operated for just four years, it was the place to find work by exciting young designers like Felix Aubert, Maurice Dufrene, Paul Follot and Abel Landry (furniture), Maurice Biais and Manual Orazi (posters) and Blanche Ory-Robin (tapestry). In later years several of them achieved success in the Art Deco style as well. According to art historian John Rewald, Meier-Graefe was among the first to see in modern art a series of formal problems to be explored, apart from the prevailing influences of the academy or nationalist politics. To promote his ideas, Meier-Graafe had begun publishing his own avant-garde art journal, Decorative Art in 1898, as Bing had published Le Japon artistique from 1888-1891. Meier-Graefe had been co- founder and the first art editor for Pan in 1895, a journal that introduced Art Nouveau to Germany, but he was soon dismissed for his alledged neglect of German artists.
The son of Edward Meier, a civil engineer, and Marie Graefe, who died giving birth tohim, the motherless child grew up near Düsseldorf. As an adult, Julius added his mother's name to his in her memory. At age twenty-one Meier-Graefe took up engineering to please his father, although he wanted to become a writer. A trip from Munich to see the World's Fair of 1889 introduced him to the newest developments in engineering (think: Eiffel's tower) but it was the new art that stuck. By 1890, back in Germany, he began studying art history in Berlin. He also wrote two short novels, Ein Abend bei Laura (1890) and Nach Norden (1893), both published by Fischer Verlag. Works by many of the artists whose works were represented at La Maison Moderne are now in museum collections. One of my favorites is Spring Garden, a tapestry by Blanche Ory-Robin, a native of Rouen.
1. Manuel Orazi - La Maison Moderne, poster c. 1902, Municipal Library, Lyon, France.
2. unidentified photographer -Henry Van de Velde Interior, German History Documents.ghi-dc.org
3. Maurice Biais - La Maison Moderne, poster c. 1901, Musee de la Publicite, Paris.
4. Josepf Sattler - Pan, cover for Volume I, 1895, Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
5. Lovis Corinth - Portrait of Julius Meier-Graefe, 1914, Musee d'Orsay, Paris.
6. Abel Landry, decorative three-panel screen, early 20th century, Lyn Knight Auctions, Lenexa, Kansas.
7. Blanche Ory-Robin (1862-1942) - Spring Garden Tapestry, c.1910-1912, Musee d'Orsay, Paris.
4. Josepf Sattler - Pan, cover for Volume I, 1895, Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
5. Lovis Corinth - Portrait of Julius Meier-Graefe, 1914, Musee d'Orsay, Paris.
6. Abel Landry, decorative three-panel screen, early 20th century, Lyn Knight Auctions, Lenexa, Kansas.
You may also be interested in L'Art Nouveau According To Bing, posted here August 13, 2009.
6 comments:
Oh Jane, danke for the introduction to Julius. I've not heard of him before. Good stuff! Was he at all involved with the Jugendstil folks?
Wouldn't every creative person want to be there, at the very forefront of a new movement? I don't think riches or even fame can ever make up for being at the cutting edge.
You note three landmark events in Meier-Graafe's life.
1. He had begun publishing his own avant-garde art journal, Decorative Art, way back in 1898.
2. He had been co-founder and the first art editor for Pan in 1895, bringing Art Nouveau to Germany.
3. And best of all, when Meier-Graafe returned to Berlin, he published his landmark history of modern art, The Developmental History of Modern Art. All by 1904!
La Maison Moderne is a bit of a missing link. Several of the artists whose work Meier-Graefe displayed became leaders in Art Deco, showing that the arts thrive on connections and evolution, where critics and historians often focus on disjunction.
R, in Berlin, Meier Graefe wrote for various publications before founding 'Pan'; his critical debut was on Edvard Munch and you can see a Munch on the wall of his office in Paris. I added this photograph because you can see the art - the ukiyo-e print at left, etc. Meier-Graefe published a book on Vincent van Gogh in 1912 (my public library has a copy). After he closed his shop in Paris he returned to Berlin, where he pursued his interest in post-impressionist art.
That first affiche is a favorite and the Blanche Ory-Robin tapestry a lovely discovery. I thank YOU for this and so many other interesting subjets!
Thank you for your kind words. The tapestry is so charming that I wish I could find more work by Blanche Ory-Robin
Post a Comment