Emile Gallé

Four decades after Bernd Hakenjos' fundamental and so far unsurpassed study of Emile Gallé, this richly illustrated edition is now being published. In cleverly formulated observations, the author illuminates influences, backgrounds and historical contexts. The volume also shines with some completely new images.

Emile Gallé (1846-1904) was one of the leading figures in French Art Nouveau art and, as a true poet, transferred his intensive observations of the flowering world of plants and their associated insects to his meaningful works. Tirelessly experimenting with new techniques, he achieved greatest fame with his multicolored, atmospheric glass vessels. In his 1973 dissertation at the University of Cologne, Bernd Hakenjos (1945-2006), known, among other things, for the television program Kunst und Krempel, examined the life and work of Emile Gallé and distilled a selection that is considered exemplary from a wealth of material. The editor Sigrid Barten, a former fellow student of the author, has replaced the outdated images of the objects with new ones and supplemented them with comparative examples. In addition, sources of inspiration from nature are juxtaposed with works made of ceramics, glass and wood.