Richard Riemerschmid (1868-1957)

Chair from Richard Riemerschmid's prize-winning dining room, about 1900.
© Quittenbaum München, Jugendstil - Art Deco, 20th May 00'

Providing the decisive artistic drive behind the German workshops, Richard Riemerschmid produced hundreds of designs covering all areas of home décor (utensils of glass, ceramics, metal; furniture; lamps; textiles, wall coverings; floor coverings).

As far as style was concerned he modelled his work on peasant handicrafts; many of his chairs are solidly built, the surfaces appear almost untreated in order to allow the natural grain of the wood to act decoratively.

At the climax of the Art Nouveau period (1899-1906) the furniture displays ornamentation typical of the time which is applied with restraint to the frames or the backrests.

His repertoire of shapes also formed the basis for the furniture that had been produced by machine since 1906, handsome low-cost items for smaller rooms.