Hermann Jünger – Artists & Designer

Biography

His work is emblematic of the 'unity of thinking and doing'. Hermann Jünger's innovative jewelry work, which spans more than 50 years, was not only groundbreaking for the vibrant jewelry center of Munich. His work and his teaching activities reached far beyond the borders of Germany and significantly influenced international jewelry artists.

Jünger's compositions are the 'wildflower meadow' next to the 'English lawn', as the jewelry artist and sculptor Walter Mersmann once summed up. His intuitive handling of precious metals, which accentuated visible solder joints and irregularities, as well as the combination of enamel and a wide variety of gemstones, regardless of material value and cut, broke with the conventions of the traditional goldsmiths' guild. Secure in his technical competence as a goldsmith, Jünger took every liberty to give his artistic abilities the necessary space. As a result, his jewelry and utensils took on a beauty and energy that continues to hold an irresistible fascination for many a viewer to this day.

Born in Hanau, he began his training at the local state drawing academy shortly after the war in 1947, which he completed two years later with the journeyman's examination as a silversmith. The war years had also left significant traces in the 'city of fine jewelry'. Lack of materials and tools limited his studies there, so that the focus was mainly on drawing. Drawing remained a constant throughout Jünger's work as a medium of communication, design, and as a mnemonic device.

Searching the perfect profession, Jünger spent the first years after his studies in various workshops and factories, working - among other things - as a designer for Koch & Bergfeld in Bremen and for WMF in Geisslingen under Wilhelm Wagenfeld. He hoped to find his vocation in the combination of art, craft and industrial production. However, it was the larger production facilities that disillusioned him with their lack of creative freedom and tedious approval processes. Many of his applications to smaller workshops, for example to Andreas Moritz in Hinterzarten (later a professor at the Nuremberg Academy), were unsuccessful due to the poor economic situation.

In 1953 his path led him to the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich to the class for gold and silversmiths under the direction of Franz Rickert (1904 - 1991). Jünger pursued his studies until 1956, during which time he created porcelain designs for the Rosenthal company, including a very popular vase that was going to be sold for many years. In an exhibition catalog, Jünger later wrote that it was his admiration for his teacher's work that prompted him to come to Munich. Rickert's teaching manifested itself primarily in a thorough formal education and encouraging individualism. He advocated the theory that one should not lose oneself in technical perfection if this would result in neglecting the artistry. This idea fell on fertile ground with Jünger. For it was precisely the post-war period that had opened up completely new artistic dimensions for him. For the first time, he had access to works of "degenerate art," and visits to various museums gave him the opportunity to examine artifacts from past eras. Above all, early medieval goldsmith's works that demonstrated an unprejudiced approach to precious materials, gave him a completely diametrical picture than the one the prevailing doctrine had during his initial training.

From then on, Munich and its surroundings would remain Jünger's workplace. He maintained his own workshop, first in Munich, then in Taufkirchen and finally in Pöring. The ever-increasing appreciation for Jünger's work was intensified by his openness towards the world around him and his first publications. He was awarded the Ring of Honor of the Society for Goldsmiths’ Art as early as 1968, and numerous exhibitions at home and abroad would follow.

In 1972, Jünger was appointed professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. Under his direction, the goldsmith class became widely recognized and drew international jewelry artists to Munich. Many great names of the jewelry scene graduated from his school, among them Manfred Bischoff, Therese Hilbert or Otto Künzli, who would later succeed him at the Academy.

His intellectual and artistic approach to the medium of jewelry paved the way for future generations of artists and made Hermann Jünger a pioneer of studio jewelry. His work is represented in the most important jewelry collections in the world, including the V&A Museum London, The Metropolitan Museum in New York and Die Neues Sammlung Munich.