HENRY VAN DE VELDE
F O U N D A T I O N
PAST PROJECTS THAT HAVE INSPIRED US.
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Here we refer you to some projects that took place in the past, however which might still be relevant or interesting to look back at.
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Ceramics exhibition at Keramik-Museum Bürgel
Currently on display at Keramik-Museum Bürgel: Ceramics from the Weimar School of Applied Arts by Henry van de Velde: May 13 – September 17, 2023
Henry van de Velde paved the way for modernism when he founded his Seminar for Decorative Arts and the Grand Ducal Saxon School of Decorative Arts. The latter emerged in 1908 and was the basis for the State Bauhaus in Weimar. The former premises of van de Velde‘s school are still used for the teaching of art and design and follow van de Velde's tradition.
The ceramics department was one of the most productive workshops of the Weimar School of Decorative Arts. The exhibition focuses on its products as well as its relationships with Bürgel factory owners, who were important partners for Henry van de Velde, but also for the students of the Weimar school. Thus, there was a close cooperation with the manufacturers Carl Gebauer, Franz Eberstein, Max Hohenstein, Karl Otto Hermann Schack as well as Max and Otto Neumann from Bürgel. These producers not only executed a large number of Henry van de Velde's student works and ceramics, they also supported the school in many technical and professional matters, assisted with firings in the school's own kiln, helped with the composition of new glazes, participated in exhibitions and sometimes even sat in on classes at the school themselves.
Both the School of Decorative Arts and the Bürgel manufacturers benefited from the congenial and intensive cooperation. Through Henry van de Velde and the students, new forms, but also colorful and lead-free glazes came to Bürgel.
On display for the first time are works by the forgotten students Sissi Brentano, Charlotte Veit, Agnes Peters and Käte Goldschmidt. The exhibition thus can provide an important impulse for further research on the Weimar School of Decorative Arts as a forerunner of the Bauhaus. An accompanying exhibition catalog is available at a price of 12€.
[text by Antje Neumann]
More information can be found on the website of Keramik-Museum Bürgel.
New Autobiography published this Spring
​In 2023, a critical edition of van de Velde's autobiography for the years 1917-1957 has been published. Anne van Loo, Doctor of Architecture and a specialist in Henry van de Velde, has devoted several decades to this critical work which is presented as a two-volume set including 1000 illustrations. The work is in French, as is the original language of the manuscript.
Henry van de Velde describes his and his family's journey through forty turbulent years of European history (1917-1957), from Switzerland, where he became friends with Kirchner and Romain Rolland, to the Netherlands, where he planned a museum for the Kröller-Müller family, and to Belgium, where he was called upon in 1926 to direct a new Institute of Decorative Arts, which was to repeat in Brussels the experience of his school in Weimar, the predecessor of the Bauhaus.
In spite of the polemics stirred up by Victor Horta, the school opened in Brussels in 1927, in the former abbey of La Cambre. It brought together an elite teaching staff and students from all over the world on the strength of van de Velde's reputation alone, and quickly became the only alternative to the Bauhaus, which was closed in 1933. His teaching methods, centred on studio practice, had a lasting influence on the country's production and gained international recognition with the Belgian pavilions at the 1937 Paris Exhibition and the 1939 New York World's Fair.
At the same time, he built the library of the University of Ghent (1933-1940), with its "tower of books", and became an artistic advisor to the Belgian Ferries Ostend Dover. He also played this role at the Ministry of Public Works before accepting a similar mission in 1940 at the General Commission for the Restoration of the Country, placed under the authority of the German military administration.
After the war, depressed by investigations and prosecutions that were dismissed, he moved to Oberägeri in Switzerland, where Alfred Roth and Max Bill looked after him. There he wrote his memoirs and received personalities such as Giedion, Neutra, Aalto, Philip Johnson or Richard Rogers, all of whom were interested in this self-taught protagonist of Art Nouveau, who is now recognised as one of the fathers of 20th century modern architecture.
The book is available for purchase via this link.
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Right picture: Henry van de Velde in front of the plans for the large museum in Hoenderloo, ca. 1922. KBR, AML, Brussels
Completing Catalogue Raisonné
The Henry van de Velde foundation is a proud partner of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar in the creation of the last three volumes of the complete Catalogue Raisonné. The first three volumes were created with the funding of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation). A catalogue raisonné is a complete, comprehensive and detailed overview of an artist’s work.
There has been a disconnect between today’s appreciation of Henry van de Velde’s work and the current state of research. Although his objects are highly valued in trade and at international auctions, there is no knowledge of the context in which his furniture, ceramics, or silver work was created, the dating, and the background of his work. With the creation of this Catalogue Raisonné, the Klassik Stiftung Weimar is closing this deficit in response to the clear wishes of cultural science and numerous collectors, while simultaneously demonstrating the crucial connections between art and society in the European context.
The project will be finalised in 2024 and will comprise HvdV’s furniture (volume 4 and 5) and interior design (volume 6). The first 3 volumes contain his metal works (volume 1), textiles (volume 2) and ceramics (volume 3).
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Photo: Henry van de Velde (design), Société anonyme, Brussels (manufacturer): Armchair, designed 1895, made 1897/98, paddock wood and leather, Klassik Stiftung Weimar DKg-2017/57
New Catalogue published with van de Velde's drawings
A new catalogue with HvdV’s complete work of paintings and drawings has recently been published. Van de Velde is not as well-known as a painter and draughtsman, even though he started his career after graduating from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in this field. His work consists of paintings and drawings of landscapes in Weimar and South Tyrol as well as of a few different places in Belgium.
This new catalogue contains van de Velde’s complete work, consisting of some 60 paintings and 230 drawings. The catalogue is compiled by Ronny Van de Velde. The introduction is written by Xavier Tricot.
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More information on the catalogue can be found here.
Newly released "biography" of HVDV's iconic Booktower
The ‘Boekentoren’, designed by Henry van de Velde, has housed the Ghent University library since 1942. But this unusual library is much more than just an iconic building.
In Towers of books, the historian Ruben Mantels recounts the turbulent history of the library, that is much older than its tower. In 1797 the library was inaugurated. Mantels tells its history from the ‘liberation of the book’ to the ‘powerful thrust of Modernism’, from the French Revolution to the digital revolution and Google Books. Portraits of librarians, the reading public and the collections are all given a place, while innumerable illustrations and photos bring the story of the Tower of Books to life.
With regard to Henry van de Velde, Mantels devotes a whole new chapter on the building history of his ‘Boekentoren’. He reveals how August Vermeylen, an old friend of Van de Velde, intervened by King Albert I to grant the building of a new library to Van de Velde. 'On 22 February 1933, Vermeylen wrote in his diary: ‘Audience with the King: discussion about […] the mission of the Library to Van de Velde.’ The long building history would last until 1954. The war caused multiple problems and made the Boekentoren a splendid, but unfinished building. In a letter from 1 September 1940, Van de Velde wrote discouragingly and called the Boekentoren ‘one of the toughest assignments I have faced in my life’. In his in the 1960s published memoires, Van de Velde described the whole undertaking as ‘absolute agony’ and one that brought his firm ‘to the brink of ruin’.
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Until its still ongoing restoration in the 2000s, Mantels has written the ‘biography’ of Van de Velde’s most important public building in Belgium, the Boekentoren.
Click here to get a hardcopy of “Towers of Books” (in Dutch only).
The book is also available as an ebook in English.
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Photo: Collection Boekentoren Gent
Easel to Edifice - a comparative study
In 2019, Common Ground Research Networks published Judith E. Stone's comparative study of two Art Nouveau Masters, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Henry van de Velde. Both Masters began their professional careers as studio, "easel" artists, but soon shifted their creative energies to the functional realms of architecture and design. However, their creative paths eventually diverged, Mackintosh returning to painting during the final years of his career, while van de Velde continued his work in architecture and the applied arts well into his eighth decade.
Stone devotes considerable attention to van de Velde's dedication to the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, according to which every element in an architectural structure - home, school, museum, performance venue - is executed in accordance with a single stylistic approach. In addition, as her research proceeded, Stone was increasingly impressed with van de Velde's cautious, selective acceptance of industrial "mass" production, as opposed to traditional hand craftsmanship. His caution leading ultimately to his historic feud with German architectural theorist Hermann Muthesius regarding the standardization inherent in industrial production. Finally, Stone found the high degree of streamlined, Bauhaus-derived modernism evident in van de Velde's later architectural projects especially striking, indeed unique in light of the conservatism of his architectural contemporaries.
Click here to purchase a copy of the book.
Dog on Booktower
Recenty, a full-size bronze statue of a smooth-haired fox terrier has been placed on top of the Book tower in Gent. It was part of the thorough renovation of the Book tower. Descendants of Van de Velde were immediately reminded of the fox terrier their great-grandfather had, seen in various photos. This was, however, never the starting point of photographer Michiel Hendryckx.
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Click here to see a video about the wonderful story behind this dog on the Book tower.
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Photo by Geert Roels
Cahier Henry van de Velde - still available!
One of the objectives of the foundation is to make scientific material on Henry van de Velde easily accessible for the English speaking world.
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We therefore supported the Fonds Henry van de Velde (La Cambre, Brussels) in its ambition to translate in English a special issue of the Cahiers Henry van de Velde dedicated to the close relationships and influences between van de Velde, Walter Gropius and the artistic, economic and political spheres in Weimar at the eve of the Bauhaus’ foundation. This original essay signed by Anne Van Loo – a major specialist of van de Velde life and work – was first published in the framework of the Bauhaus centenary in 2019 and it was the starting point of an international conference on van de Velde and the Bauhaus, held in Brussels in February 2019.
This e-book is available in English - for free - for the academic world and other interested parties.
For the French and German versions, please contact fondsvandevelde@lacambre.be or regine.carpentier@lacambre.be
Monogram: HVDV - the artist as designer
In 2019, a monogram on HVDV by Richard Hollis was published. It is the first major study on Henry van de Velde’s work in English for 30 years. The book, called “Van de Velde: The artist as designer”, contains over 300 illustrations and focuses on the tension between HVDV as a creator or artist and as the designer.
Richard Hollis is a writer and design lecturer, who first became interested in Henry van de Velde’s work when visiting the Kunst-gewerbemuseum in Zurich in 1958. His book portrays the continuing appreciation for Henry van de Velde’s work.
Richars Hollis: “The introduction to my book describes my continuing admiration for Henry van de Velde. The influence of English writers and designers was particularly interesting.”
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A copy of the book can be ordered here.
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Kuenzli, Horst Honored with NEH Grants for Book Projects
Katherine Kuenzli, associate professor of art history, received a $250,000 Scholarly Editions and Translations grant. She and project co-directors Michael André and Kathleen James-Chakraborty will use the funds to prepare a critical edition and translation of a selection of writings by the Belgian artist and essayist Henry van de Velde titled Henry van de Velde: Selected Essays, 1889–1914.
Kuenzli also is working on a monograph titled Henry van de Velde: Designing Modernism. Together with Selected Essays, these projects recover van de Velde’s important role in Neo-Impressionist painting and the German Werkbund, and they demonstrate how ideas of internationalism and the total work of art lie at the heart of modern approaches to museum display, art education, and industrial design.
You can pre-order the book via this link.
Renovation Book Tower Gent
One of the most daring Henry van de Velde projects going on at the moment is the restoration and renovation of the Boekentoren in Gent, Belgium. The library in this building houses 3 million books. Van de Velde designed the Boekentoren for the University of Gent in 1936. The building was finalized in 1942. Because of its strategic location on top of a small hill in Gent, the tower was used by the Germans in the 2nd World War. Due to the intensive usage of the building during the war combined with poor repairs in the past, the university took a bold decision: invest almost €50 million to complete a full renovation of the Boekentoren. Architects Robbrecht and Daem were selected to design the renovation.
You can follow the progress of the restoration project as well as the future plans for the Boekentoren here.
Tea gown - 2019 at Klassik Stiftung Weimar
The Klassik Stiftung Weimar is currently showcasing the “Van de Velde, Nietzsche and Modernism around 1900” exhibition at the Neues Museum Weimar. For this exhibition the Stiftung has recreated a beautiful tea gown which Henry van de Velde designed for and with his wife Marie in 1896. Unfortunately, the dress itself doesn’t exist anymore. Only the collar, the cuffs and the hem have stood the test of time while photographs of Maria van de Velde give an impression of how the tea gown was worn.
The ornamental embroideries, with which the collar, sleeve and hem are trimmed, were designed by Henry. Marie, working with a seamstress, took charge of the realization. The wide-cut waist allows the wearer to decide for herself whether she wishes to wear a corset. The gown was made specifically for Marie and was one of her favorites. More than likely for that reason, it is one of the most frequently pictured morning dresses by van de Velde.
Find out more here.
Replica chairs – 2019 at Klassik Stiftung Weimar
Klassik Stiftung Weimar, has two chairs of Henry van de Velde in its collection:
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• “Model Bloemenwerf”
• “Model Kessler”
They will have replicas of these chairs in their upcoming permanent exhibition (beginning April 5th, 2019 for several years) to give the visitors also haptic access to the works, especially visually handicapped people.
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Visit the website of Klassik Stiftung Weimar here.
Bauhaus Jubilee Coin - 2019
The German Federal Government has minted a 20-euro commemorative coin "100 Years Bauhaus” which was issued on 19 March 2019. The coin honors the founding of Bauhaus by Walter Gropius on April 1, 1919.
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The image on the coin shows the eventful and exciting world of Bauhaus. It encompasses all areas of artistic design that Bauhaus wanted to combine into a Gesamtkunstwerk. Through this complexity of content, the coin accompanies the observer through 100 years of Bauhaus. Amon them is a detail of the School of Art in Weimar by van de Velde.
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For orders (website in German only), click here.
