ART & DESIGN MASTER CRAFT “Architecture in 1887 was less mundane and minimalist than it is today; there was great demand for synthetic glass and mosaic” Elisa Strozyk’s woven-glass pendant lamp there were as many as 100 glass-painting establishments in the city,” explains Katja Zukic, who runs the firm today, along with master glass-painter Raphaela Knein. “Architecture then was less mundane and minimalist than it is today; there was great demand for synthetic glass and mosaics,” she says, explaining in part why van Treeck is one of the few remaining creative glass firms, not only in Munich but across Europe. A combination of meticulous design, unearthly patience and the artisanal mastery required to work with this, the most fragile of materials, have all contributed to van Treeck’s enduring success over the past 132 years. In one corner of the atelier, Fred Mayerhofer, who has been at the firm for 35 years, is restoring a fire-damaged lead-glass church window. Van Treeck boasts all the leading technological implements of the glass business – from computer-aided airbrushing and sandblasting to chemical fusion. Still, he traces the the silhouette of the replacement glass freehand. “This is still my most important tool,” he says, raising his simple wooden stylus, topped with a single diamond. But tradition is merely a grounding here, where each of the 14 talented employees pushes the limits of the friable material in order to satisfy the demands of its international clients, which include private customers, companies and public institutions. “We love techniques like The Molar X low table by Christoph Böninger from the Edition van Treeck line Alongside new designs, restoration plays a major part in van Treeck‘s work, including the meticulous cleaning of an old church window, above right 66 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
silk-screening, with which we can burn patterns or images into the glass,” explains Zukic. “Right now, float-glass painting is exciting. This allows you to transform surfaces created by glass painters into shatterproof glass that you can use in architectural projects.” The van Treeck studio uses this new technique for its much-feted Edition van Treeck line, a standout suite of glass design objects made in tandem with internationally renowned designers. Showing off the multifaceted nature of glass, the objects, like Elisa Strozyk’s woven-glass lamp, challenge our perceptions of both our spaces and of glass itself. And in this space and in this hushed courtyard, the painstaking craft continues apace, a testament to our enduring fascination with this most irascible of materials. “With glass, there are always factors that remain unpredictable,” says Zukic, pointing to the Pastille table by Sebastian Herkner, where melted circles of colour and intentional air bubbles make for unique compositions. “Each piece is one of a kind, even if it’s part of a series.” hofglasmalerei.de PHOTOS MARTIN KREUZER (4), PRODUCTS: GERHARDT KELLERMANN (8) From top: master glass cutter Fred Mayerhofer at work with his most important tool – a diamondtopped wooden stylus; Sebastian Herkner‘s Pastille table for Edition van Treeck From top: details from designs by David/Nicolas, Elisa Strozyk, Christoph Böninger, Christian Haas and Sebastian Herkner CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM 67
