Bodo Sperlein x J. & L. Lobmeyr, “Script” Collection, 2019. Photography by Jon Day, styled by Hannah Franklin. Courtesy of Bodo Sperlein Studio, J. & L. Lobmeyr, and Les Ateliers Courbet.
September 15, 2020 (New York, United States) – In November 2020, New York-based design gallery Les Ateliers Courbet will present the US unveiling of “Script” — a collection of lights by German-born designer Bodo Sperlein created for Vienna’s legendary chandelier and glass manufacturer, J. & L. Lobmeyr. Sperlein adds his signature to Lobmeyr’s catalogue and extensive design legacy with a series of lights embodying the Austrian glassmakers’ artisanal dexterity and the meticulous simplicity of their design vocabulary. With his “Script” collection, the designer gives a contemporary twist to the iconic typography of Viennese modernist design, as exemplified in Lobmeyr’s iconic collections.
The “Script” lights will be presented in conjunction with new pieces developed by Bodo Sperlein for Les Ateliers Courbet, expanding on Sperlein’s 2009 “Contour” table and bench, previously noted for their flawless woodcraft details and fluid curves achieved through the traditional Japanese Shou sugi ban technique.
Bodo Sperlein x J. & L. Lobmeyr, “Script” Collection, 2019. Photography by Jon Day, styled by Hannah Franklin. Courtesy of Bodo Sperlein Studio, J. & L. Lobmeyr, and Les Ateliers Courbet.
“SCRIPT” COLLECTION
Following its European launch in September 2019 at Maison & Objet, Paris, the exhibition marks the first presentation of the new “Script” collection in the United States. Resulting from Viennese family-owned chandelier and glass manufacturer J. & L. Lobmeyr’s latest artistic collaboration and inspired by the Wiener Werkstätte vocabulary, “Script” was developed by Sperlein in close concert with six-generation owner Johannes Rath. The collection revisits the common theme of brass pipes and white balls as Sperlein endows the design with a new bend. Structurally, each piece consists of hand-bent brass bands; in a milled groove, the cables are visibly guided as a design element. Available in gold- or silver-plated finish, together with hemispherical, mouth-blown and satin-finished crystal domes which sit on flat brass plates, the curved arms thrust each piece beyond its primary function as it embraces that of a sculptural object in space. The collection includes a table lamp, a floor lamp and a wall lamp, as well as different versions of chandeliers, utilizing Lobmeyr’s custom-made LED-elements.
Inspired by historical design luminaries Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser, Sperlein’s deep appreciation for Vienna’s seminal design legacy and its ongoing craftsmanship heritage has sparked various collaborations with local manufacturers over the years, including silversmith workshop Jarosinski & Vaugoin and Hanseatic bed manufacturer Richard Behr. Sperlein has continuously sought to bring his contemporary vocabulary to the city’s timeless mastery of craft.
“Vienna’s history is rooted in the aesthetics of the city, and in a rich architectural and artistic legacy born from time-honored craftsmanship.” Sperlein explains. “Pristinely preserved treasures endlessly surface at the corner of a street, in the depths of a cellar, and in time appear in a new light. The boundless opportunity to creatively draw from the city, to combine its uncompromising craftsmanship with modern design, is at the core of the mutual fascination that the craftspeople I work with and I share; it is what unites us.”
Bodo Sperlein, “Contour” Collection Oak Finish, 2020. Photography by Jon Day Photography, styled by Katie Philips. Courtesy of Bodo Sperlein Studio and Les Ateliers Courbet.
“CONTOUR” COLLECTION
Designed by Bodo Sperlein, the “Contour” furniture collection draws inspiration from the clean-curved silhouettes of the 20th-century Art Nouveau movement. Hand-crafted in the UK by British master craftspeople, the pieces are fabricated using the traditional Japanese Shou sugi ban technique. Originated in Japan in the 18th century and primarily used to treat cedar siding to make it weatherproof, Shou sugi ban (焼杉板) involves charring a wood surface to render it a deep charcoal-black. The process imparts the resulting piece, called yakisugi, with an undeniable gravitas – a blackening of the wood that reveals clean, distinct lines and an inherent textural beauty, balanced by the impeccable fluidity of the piece’s mirrored curvature. Long drawn to Sperlein’s original “Contour” series (c. 2009) which included a table, bench and chair, Courbet encouraged the designer to expand the collection with a new console, chair and side table developed exclusively for the gallery. Each piece is available in black walnut, black moire or solid oak.
Both Sperlein’s new “Contour” pieces developed for Courbet and his latest ode to Vienna’s design and craftsmanship legacy with the “Script” collection will be presented starting November 2020 exclusively at Les Ateliers Courbet, New York.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
About Bodo Sperlein
A graduate of the University of the Arts London, German-born designer Bodo Sperlein opened his London-based studio in 2000. Originally specializing in ceramics, Sperlein has moved on to work in collaborations and commissions from technology and textiles to interior accessories, silverware and lighting.
Bodo has collaborated with esteemed brands and manufacturers around the world, including Dibbern and nya nordiska in Germany, Lladró in Spain, Nikko in Japan, and Tane, the heritage silverware Mexican brand. Over the years, Sperlein’s repertoire has extended, echoing his enthusiasm for rejuvenating heritage brands.
Each of his projects is a reflection of Sperlein’s engagement in supporting the cultural heritage and ethos inherent to traditional craftsmanship. He materializes this interest through the design and production of signature collections handcrafted by contemporary artisans using time-honored
techniques and various materials.
About J. & L. Lobmeyr
Founded in 1823 by Joseph Lobmeyr, Viennese family-owned chandelier and glass manufacturer J. & L. Lobmeyr has garnered the established recognition of international design institutions and museums, as well as the design industry, for its impeccable craftsmanship, its significant design legacy, and its forward-thinking leadership from one generation to the next.
In line of its visionary direction, Lobmeyr’s second-generation Ludwig Lobmeyr Senior is recognized for reviving the glass and crystal traditions of Bohemia and challenging the local glass masters to improve the techniques that eventually drew the world’s attention to the craftsmanship expertise of the region. His successor and son-in-law, Stefan Rath is responsible for some of the most iconic Lobmeyr collections, including seminal designs resulting from Rath’s longstanding collaborations with his Viennese contemporaries and historical design luminaries such as Josef Hoffmann, Adolf Loos and Oswald Haerdtl – designs which today belong to the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Arts and the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and the MAK Museum in Vienna amongst other museums around the world.
Under the direction of Johannes Rath, and for six generations now, J. & L. Lobmeyr has contributed to the design and craft legacy of Austria, which has influenced that of the rest of the world. Although Lobmeyr continually focuses on the contemporary interpretation of glass, it has never stopped cultivating its heritage, while retaining a thoughtful and emotional bond with the product. With guest designers and artists coming from a wide range of backgrounds – painters, architects or designers, Lobmeyr has carried-on a rich legacy, allowing the old to inspire the new, and the traditions to facilitate innovation.
Alongside its extensive collection of functional glassworks, the manufacturer has built a major catalogue of lighting designs fed by special commissions and institutional projects including the Schönbrunn Palace; the Vienna State Opera; the Kremlin; the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; and the renowned Metropolitan Opera House lights at the Lincoln Center in New York.
About Les Ateliers Courbet
Les Ateliers Courbet is a New York-based design gallery with a distinct curatorial focus dedicated to the ongoing craftsmanship mastery and design legacies carried-on by the contemporary artisans and centuries-old manufactures it represents.
Established in 2013 by Mélanie Courbet, the gallery was born from the desire to share a deep appreciation for master-craftsmen’s ethos and works of art that embody artisanal dexterity and cultural heritage. Since its opening, Les Ateliers Courbet has garnered international recognition from a clientele of private collectors, interior designers and institutions alike. Today, the gallery represents over 50 traditional crafts passed on by long lineages of esteemed artisans from around the world, including marquetry, woodcraft, ceramic and glasswork, weaving and metalsmithing.
While pursuing its mission with exhibitions, institutional collaborations and publications, the gallery further supports its ateliers with the Editions Courbet – a series of editioned pieces created by guest artists and hand-crafted by the gallery’s master-craftsmen. The inaugural Editions Courbet collection will be unveiled in the Fall of 2020.
Les Ateliers Courbet
134 Tenth Avenue
New York, NY 10013
United States
https://www.ateliercourbet.com/