Ignatz Wiemeler

Biography

Designer/bookbinder. Born 3 October 1895 in Ibbenbüren, Westfalen, his father a bookbinder. 1912-13: apprenticed as bookbinder in Osnabrück. 1914: studied bookbinding at the Hamburg Landeskunstschule: his teacher was Franz Weisse. 1914-16: his studies interrupted by military service at the end of which he was severely wounded. 1916-21: resumed his classes with Weisse at the Hamburg Kunstgewerbeschule; studied decorative art with Anton Kling (1918-19), and with Carl Otto Czeschka (1919-21). 1921-5: taught bookbinding at the Offenbach a.M. Kunstgewerbeschule. 1923: founding member of the Bund Meister der Einbandkunst (Association of Master Bookbinding Designers). 1924: visited London perhaps to study the work of Cobden-Sanderson’s Doves Press. 1925-45: taught book arts at the Leipzig State Academy for the Book Trade and Graphic Arts (Akademie für graphische Künste und Buchgewerbe). 1927: member of the jury, Leipzig International Book Exhibition. By 1931: member of the Association of German Book Artists. 1935: attended bookbinding symposium at Columbia University, New York, on the occasion of the exhibitions at both the Low Memorial Library, Columbia University (German Bookbinding, April-May), and the Museum of Modern Art (2-24 October; 54 bookbindings by IW from the collections of Karl Klingspor, Offenbach a.M., and Richard Doetsch-Benziger, Basel; the exhibition was later shown at Harvard University). 1937: second visit to London: exhibition of his work at the First Edition Club. 1943: his bindery workshop destroyed in a bombing raid. By the end of the war he had been bombed out three times. Moved to St Peter, Schleswig-Holstein. November 1945-1952: head of the bookbindery class at the Landeskunstschule, Lerchenfeld, Hamburg. Died 25 May 1952 in Hamburg. His bookbindings were never less than magnificent.

Writings by

  • The following 6 articles are reproduced in Presser, 1953 (see below):
  • ‘Handeinband und neue Sachlichkeit’, Die Leipziger 99, Leipzig, 1929, pp. 200-4
  • ‘Deckfarbige Einbandleder’, Allgemeiner Anzeiger für Buchbindereien, 1930, pp. 347-8
  • ‘Bookbinding, old and new’, The Dolphin, 1933, pp. 146-60
  • ‘Ideals in bookbinding’, Ignatz Wiemeler, modern bookbinder (MoMA exh. cat.), 1935
  • ‘Einbandleder’, Philobiblon, v. 1, 1938, pp. XXI-XXIII.

Writings about

  • Comprehensive references are Presser, 1953
  • Schaefer, 1989
  • and Londenberg, 1990.
  • 1925-34: Kuno Graf von Hardenberg, ‘Die Offenbacher Kunstgewerbeschule und Ignatz Wiemelers Lederkunst’, DKuD, 1925, 56, pp. 242-5
  • Max Christian Wegner, ‘Die Einbände von Ignatz Wiemeler’, Archiv für Buchbinderei 27, 1927, pp. 91-2
  • Georg Haupt, ‘Ledereinbände von Ignatz Wiemeler’, Jahrbuch der Einbandkunst, 1928, pp. 213-18 (plus 12 ills.)
  • Karl Klingspor, ‘Meine Büchersammlung’, Philobiblon, 1930, pp. 230-32, 233, 235, 237, 239
  • K.G. von Hardenberg, ‘Ignatz Wiemelers neueste Einbände’, DKuD, Oct. 1931, pp. 60-66
  • ‘Zu Ignatz Wiemelers Bucheinbänden’, AfB, 1931, 68, pp. 393-6
  • Paul Kersten, ‘Ignatz Wiemeler’, Allgemeiner Anzeiger für Buchbindereien 46, 1931, pp. 716-18
  • ‘Horizontals and verticals bring beauty to bindings’, Bookbinding, 1932, 16, p. 35
  • ‘A binder of genius’, Publisher’s Weekly, 1932, 121, p. 1958
  • 1935-50: Monroe Wheeler (intro.), Ignatz Wiemeler, modern bookbinder (exh. cat.), New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1935
  • ‘Exhibition of modern bookbindings by Professor Wiemeler at the Museum of Modern Art’, Art News, 5 Oct. 1935, p. 5
  • ‘Ignatz Wiemeler in USA’, Allgemeiner Anzeiger für Buchbindereien 50, 1935, pp. 627-8, 664
  • P. Kersten, ‘Neue Einbände von Prof. Wiemeler’, Allgemeiner Anzeiger für Buchbindereien 51, 1936, pp. 402-5
  • Erhard Goepel, ‘Der Buchbinder Ignatz Wiemeler’, Philobiblon, v. 1, 1938 (includes brief biog, biblio and 20p inset of IW’s bindings, and IW’s ‘Einbandleder’, pp. I-XXIV)
  • E. Goepel, Der Buchbinder Ignatz Wiemeler, Brünn/Leipzig/Vienna: Rohrer, 1938 (reprinted from Philobiblon, v. 1, 1938)
  • E. Göpel, ‘Vom produktiven Sammeln’ (Karl Klingspor), AfB, 1938, pp. 479-83
  • E. Goepel, ‘Neue Einbände von Ignatz Wiemeler’, Philobiblon, 1939, v. 3, p. 88 and supplement
  • Kurt Dingelstedt, ‘Ignatz Wiemeler und seine Schüler’ (Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg), Allg. Anzeiger für Buchbindereien, April 1939
  • 1951-present: Richard Doetsch-Benziger, ‘Professor Ignatz Wiemeler’ (obituary), Die Weltkunst, 15 June 1952, p. 11
  • Konrad Tegtmeier, ‘Ignatz Wiemelers Weg und Werk’, Imprimatur, 1952/53, pp. 139-44 plus 2-page inset (includes portrait of IW)
  • Christian Otto Frenzel, ‘Jeder Band ein Kunstwerk’ (speech at memorial exhibition, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg), Die Welt, 22 May 1953
  • Helmut Presser (introduction), Ignatz Wiemeler, Buchbinder 1895-1952, Hamburg: Maximilian-Gesellschaft, 1953
  • GKS, 1963, pp. 204-5
  • ‘Ignatz Wiemeler und die Einbandgestaltung Heute’ (report on IW’s exh., Gewerbemuseum, Basle), Aus dem Antiquariat, 1972, p. A377
  • J. Stemmle (intro.), Prof. Ignaz Wiemeler, Hamburg, Gedenkausstellung (exh. cat.), Galleria del Bel Libro, Centro del Bel Libro, Ascona: Stemmle, 1975
  • Kurt Stein, ‘Gedanken über Ignatz Wiemeler’, Marginalien, 1976, pp. 58-61
  • DBE, 1999
  • Helma Schaefer, ‘Ignatz Wiemeler und das Leipziger Einbandschaffen’, Traditionen Leipziger Buchkunst (Albert Kapr, ed.), Leipzig: VEB Fachbuchverlag, 1989, pp. 161-223 (photo of IW, p. 160)
  • Kurt Londenberg, Ignatz Wiemeler/Werkverzeichnis, Hamburg: Maximilian Gesellschaft, 1990 (includes biography, bibliography, list of articles by, and about, IW, photos of IW
  • also includes Monroe Wheeler, ‘Ignatz Wiemeler, Modern Bookbinder’, from MoMA exh. cat., 1935)
  • Philobiblon 35, 1991, pp. 335-8
  • HAH, 1991
  • Ignatz Wiemeler: 18 Handeinbände, 1921-38 (Coll. K. Bösch and others), Rotthalmünster, 1992 (sales cat.)
  • Kurt Londenberg, ‘Ignatz Wiemeler. Werkverzeichnis‘ (further additions, corrections), Philobiblon, Sept. 1992, pp. 248-9
  • WK, 1996, p. 101
  • Die Rupprecht-Presse zu München (auction cat. XLVI), Ramsen, Switzerland: Antiquariat Bibermühle, and Rotthalmünster, Germany: Antiquariat Heribert Tenschert, 2001.

Exhibitions

  • Darmstadt, 1922
  • Helsinki, 1926
  • Leipzig, 1927
  • Pressa, Cologne, 1928
  • Barcelona, 1929
  • Lyon, 1930
  • Salon du Livre, Paris, 1931
  • Leipzig, 1932 (Goethe exh.
  • group)
  • Low Memorial Library at Columbia University, New York, Museum of Modern Art, New York, and Harvard University, 1935
  • Petit Palais, Paris, 1935
  • Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, 1936
  • First Edition Club, London, 1937
  • Reval, 1938
  • Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, 1939, 1953 (memorial exh.)
  • Klingspor Museum, Offenbach a.M., 1957
  • Gewerbemuseum, Basle, 1972
  • Ascona, 1979.

Collections

  • Klingspor Museum, Offenbach a.M.