wilhelm wagenfeld

WA 24 table lamp designed by Wilhelm Wagenfeld in 1924, re-editioned by Technolumen in 1980. © Joachim Fliegner. Photo: courtesy of Wilhelm Wagenfeld Stiftung.
series of editorials on prominent designers
german product designer wilhelm wagenfeld is most famous for his eponymous table lamp and teaching with the bauhaus collective in the 1920’s. yet across wagenfeld’s long and productive life these were just brief episodes.
from the 1920’s through to the 1970’s he taught at a number of art schools, designed everything from salt & pepper sets to music players, and received awards at the milan triennale and the paris world fair.
Wilhelm Wagenfeld, 1953. Photo: courtesy of Wilhelm Wagenfeld Stiftung.
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born in Bremen, Germany
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Water jugs with sketches according to the design of Wilhelm Wagenfeld, 1940. Execution: Vereinigte Lausitzer Glaswerke. Photo via Getty Images.
student at a drawing academy in Hanau
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WG 25 GL table lamp designed by Wilhelm Wagenfeld in 1925 and re-editioned by Technolumen. Material: nickel plated metal, opaque globe, clear glass base. © Technolumen. Tecnolumen.com
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Bauhaus Lamp designed by Wilhelm Wagenfeld, 1924. Photo by Joachim Fliegner. Wilhelm Wagenfeld Stiftung, Bremen / © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2016.
student at Bauhaus in Weimar
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director in the metal workshops of the Bauhaus in Weimar
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Sintrax, 3/4-Liter coffee maker, author: Gerhard Marcks / production: Jenaer Glaswerke Schott & Gen. / enhancement: Wilhelm Wagenfeld, around 1925. Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau / © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2018.
worked for German glass factories
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wins the Golden Medal at the World Fair in Paris
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Vase of blue glass designed by Wilhelm Wagenfeld for Vereinigte Lausitzer Glaswerke, 1936. © Pamono. Pamono.com
professor at the College of Fine Arts in Berlin
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Turmalin set of smoked glass vases designed by Wilhelm Wagenfeld for the Württembergische Metallwaren Fabrik (WMF) in the 1950-s. © Pamono. Pamono.com
Serving tongs designed by Wilhelm Wagenfeld for the Württembergische Metallwaren Fabrik (WMF), 1970. © Pamono. Pamono.com
artistic director at a metalware factory in Stuttgart
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runs independent design bureau, Werkstatt Wagenfeld
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dies in Bremen
to be useful is to be beautiful. —wilhelm wagenfeld
Portrait of Wilhelm Wagenfeld, 1920–1925. Photo via Bauhaus 100.
At age 16 Wagenfeld began an apprenticeship in industrial drafting at the Koch & Bergfeld silverware factory in Bremen alongside studies at the Bremen School of Applied Arts. From 1919 to 1922 Wagenfeld studied at the Hanau Drawing Academy on a scholarship. All this training had a massive impact on the level of skill Wilhelm would achieve in his career.
Fat lean saucer designed by Wilhelm Wagenfeld in 1924, re-editioned by Technolumen. Material: sterling silver 925/1000, ebony. © Technolumen. Tecnolumen.com
i strive to create top quality items that are cheap enough for the poor and good enough for the rich. —wilhelm wagenfeld
Wilhelm Wagenfeld, 1953. Photo: courtesy of Wilhelm Wagenfeld Stiftung.