The Death and Life of the Total Work of Art – Henry van de Velde and the Legacy of a Modern Concept
ISBN 978-3-86859-261-0
ISBN 978-3-86859-261-0
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Educating <strong>the</strong> Gesamtkunstwerk<br />
Educating <strong>the</strong><br />
Gesamtkunstwerk<br />
<strong>Henry</strong> <strong>van</strong> <strong>de</strong> Vel<strong>de</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>Art</strong> School Reform in<br />
Germany, 1900<strong>–</strong>14<br />
Ka<strong>the</strong>rine Kuenzli<br />
<strong>Henry</strong> <strong>van</strong> <strong>de</strong> Vel<strong>de</strong> arrived in Weimar in 1902 with two distinct missions. <strong>The</strong><br />
first assignment, given to him by Wilhelm Ernst, Gr<strong>and</strong> Duke <strong>of</strong> Saxe-Weimar-<br />
Eisenach, was above all practical. <strong>The</strong> Gr<strong>and</strong> Duke hired <strong>van</strong> <strong>de</strong> Vel<strong>de</strong> to serve<br />
as <strong>Art</strong>istic Advisor to <strong>the</strong> Gr<strong>and</strong> Duchy with <strong>the</strong> aim <strong>of</strong> improving <strong>the</strong> quality <strong>of</strong><br />
local manufacturing. Through <strong>de</strong>sign, Wilhelm Ernst sought to mo<strong>de</strong>rnize his<br />
Duchy’s traditional <strong>and</strong> provincial manufacturing sector. Van <strong>de</strong> Vel<strong>de</strong> received<br />
<strong>the</strong> second task from Count Harry Kessler, who worked behind <strong>the</strong> scenes to<br />
bring <strong>the</strong> artist to Weimar. A few years previously, Kessler had invested his personal<br />
fortune in moving <strong>the</strong> ailing Friedrich Nietzsche <strong>and</strong> his personal archive to<br />
24 Educating <strong>the</strong> Gesamtkunstwerk
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