INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
`ASPECTS OF 20TH CENTURY STAINED GLASS'
31 July ­ 1 August 2008 at Glaziers' Hall, London
A major 2-day non-residential conference organized by The British Society of Master Glass Painters with The Worshipful Company of Glaziers

Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Head of Christ, 1912 Brücke-Museum Berlin

`Aspects of 20th Century Stained Glass' follows the success of the BSMGP conference `19th Century Glass Painting' held at Glaziers' Hall in 2005. The conference will present an historically considered overview of the far-reaching developments in stained glass which took place throughout the 20th century ­ in particular the first three-quarters of that century, from which we have enough distance to examine it with some objectivity. Eminent speakers from the UK, Europe and the USA include: · Peter Cormack ­ Teaching stained glass in the Arts & Crafts era in the UK · Dr Iris Nestler ­ The influence of modern art on the first half of 20th century glass in Germany · Julie L Sloan ­ Early 20th century stained glass: Frank Lloyd.Wright and Charles Rennie Mackintosh · Martin Harrison ­ The persistence of Gothic: post-War stained glass in the UK and beyond · Wilhelm Derix with Andrea McKay ­ Modern German stained glass: Schreiter, Schafrath, Poensgen, Klos · Patrick Reyntiens OBE ­ The vital exchange: the interconnection of vision, imagination and teaching which has benefited both the arts of painting and stained glass · Alex Beleschenko ­ influences and context of his development (evening lecture) · Dr Libby Horner ­ Frank Brangwyn's stained glass · Michael Barker ­ A survey of 20th century stained glass in France · Dr Donald Buttress ­ new glass in old windows For further information email C20conference@bsmgp.org.uk.

Conference Programme
DAY ONE: Thursday 31 July
MORNING SESSION ­ CHAIRMAN: t.b.a. 8.30­9.15 9.20­9.30 9. 30­ 10.30 10.30­11.30 11.30­12.00 12.00­1.00 1.00­2.00 Registration Introduction to session by Chairman Julie L Sloan MSc `Early 20th century stained glass' Dr Libby Horner `Frank Brangwyn: stained glass' Tea/coffee Michael Barker 'A survey of 20th century stained glass in France from the end of the Belle Epoque to Abstraction' Lunch

AFTERNOON SESSION ­ CHAIRMAN: Martin Harrison FSA 2.00­2.10 2.10­3.10 3.10­3.45 3.45­4.45 Introduction to session by Chairman Dr I Nestler `The influence of Modern Art on the first half of 20th century glass in Germany' Tea/coffee W Derix `Glass as `Fine Art in Architecture` From the second half of the 20th century to the beginning of 21st century `

EVENING SESSION ­ GLAZIERS' LECTURE: (see application form) 6.15 for 6.45 8.00 Alex Beleschenko, artist, his work and influence Buffet supper (optional)

DAY TWO: Friday 1 August
MORNING SESSION - CHAIRMAN: Peter Cormack FSA 10.00­10.15 10.15­11.15 11.15­11.45 11.45­12.45 12.45­2.00 Introduction to session by Chairman P Reyntiens OBE `The vital exchange' Tea/coffee Dr Donald Buttress `New wine in old bottles' (or new glass in old windows) Lunch

AFTERNOON SESSION ­ CHAIRMAN: Tony Benyon 2.00­2.10 2.10­3.10 Introduction to session by Chairman Peter Cormack FSA Hon. FMGP 'Teaching stained glass in the Arts & Crafts era: "a single grain of wheat, not a whole ear of corn" ` Tea/ coffee Martin Harrison `The persistence of Gothic' Conference ends PLEASE NOTE: · After each speaker there will be time for discussion.

3.10­3.45 3.45­4.45

Conference speakers
Iris Nestler DPhil, art historian Title of lecture: `The influence of modern art on the first half of 20th century glass in Germany' (PowerPoint presentation) Born 1966; 1986­94 Studies of art history, art education, modern history and subjects complementary to the study of history at Munich Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität. 1991 eight month USA visiting lectures at the Midwestern State University, 1995­2001 and since 2007 Freelance assistant at the Cologne Museum Service of the Wallraff­Richartz Museum and the Museum Ludwig. 2001­2006 Directress Deutsches Glasmalerei-Museum Linnich. 2003, 2006 and 2007/2008 Lectureships at the Heinrich­Heine Universität in Düsseldorf, Publications of many essays and catalogues on stained glass and art of the 20th century, lectures at national and international conferences. Bruno Taut's glass house at the 1914 Werkbund exposition in Cologne already shows how glass painting and architecture coalesce. The period between Bruno Taut and Prikker on one hand and Heinz Mack's architectonic utopia on the other is marked by strong contrasts. Obviously, in glass the same characteristics of a development towards abstract art may be noted as in autonomous art, notwithstanding its tie with architecture. If one studies glass painting in the second half of the 20th century, and in particular the three post-War decades, one ought to start with Johan Thorn-Prikker and the questions: · What did actually happen between Prikker and present times? · Where is the difference between the achievements of Prikker and Georg Meistermann, or were there actual regressions between Prikker and the sixties? Studying these works always implies, next to the correspondence with architectural space a stylistic comparison with the contemporaneous tendencies in autonomous painting. The artistic departure of the period between 1900 and 1960 encompasses art nouveau expressionist, surrealist, constructivist, Bauhaus and, in contrast, very painterly tendencies. In the first half of the 20th century, important teaching institutions in stained glass painting prepared the ground for further development: the Academy of Fine Arts Düsseldorf with teachers such as Prikker and Heinrich Campendonk; the Werkkunstschule Cologne, also with Prikker and Campendonk and, especially, Wilhelm Teuwen; the Technical University at Aachen with Anton Wendling; and the Technical College at Krefeld with Gustav Fünders. I should like to show you now, in a very small selection, the various tendencies within this wealth of stained glass windows from five decades. We find links to expressionism; we find constructivism as much as lyrical abstraction. We shall meet optical kinetics as well as gestural painting. Josef Strater, Heinrich Campendonk and Wilhelm Teuwen are excellent examples of artists mixing geometrical composition with a growing expressive figuration This originates partly from the necessity of following the condition set by the church client namely that biblical themes should be represented figuratively, and partly from the urge of the artist to follow contemporary abstraction. Strater's friend, Campendonk, for example, became well known through his connection to the `Blaue Reiter' in Munich, and, as pupil of Thorn-Prikker in glass painting, he remained entirely faithful to the typically Rhenish mixture of expressionism and constructivism. An investigation into 20th century art in a sacral context may well start with the many debates about the chapel at the 1912 Sonderbund Austellung in Cologne. The artists involved, Prikker, Kirchner, Schmidt-Rottluff and Nolde, had evidently been given the stipulation that `...the intensely abstract representations of "miracles" should be slightly reworked into ornamentation so that the "wish of the clergy" could be met without resentment, perhaps even with relief.' The notions of clerics are less related to councils or liturgical deliberations than to purely personal tastes and leanings, to human abilities or the inability to cooperate. Here rules do not exist.

Patrick Reyntiens OBE Title of lecture: `The vital exchange' (slide presentation) The speaker will discuss the interconnection of vision, imagination and teaching which has benefited both arts (of painting and stained glass) when creatively used. Julie L. Sloan, Stained Glass Consultant Title of lecture: 'Early 20th century stained glass' (Powerpoint presentation) Julie Sloan consults on all aspects of historic American stained glass restoration and conservation. Her projects have included the windows of Louis Comfort Tiffany, John La Farge, Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles Connick, J. & R. Lamb, and many others. She also researches and writes on the history and conservation of American stained glass. Her books include Conservation of Stained Glass in America and Light Screens: The Complete LeadedGlass Windows of Frank Lloyd Wright. In 2005, she addressed the British Society of Master Glass Painters' Annual Conference on the work of John La Farge. Peter Cormack FSA, Hon. FMGP Title of lecture: 'Teaching stained glass in the Arts and Crafts era: "a single grain of wheat, not a whole ear of corn" ' Peter is currently writing a book on the stained glass of the Arts & Crafts Movement. The Arts and Crafts movement, which originated in England in the late 19th century, had a transforming impact on the teaching of stained glass. For the first time, it introduced workshop practice into the education system alongside designing skills, and it reinvigorated the idea of apprenticeship ­ for women as well as men. This paper looks at how Christopher Whall and his followers taught the craft, and with what results. Martin Harrison, Art Historian Title of lecture: 'The persistence of Gothic' Interest in English 20th century stained glass has tended to focus on the Arts and Crafts movement or its avant-garde offshoots. Nonetheless, until the 1960s most of the stained glass supplied to churches followed more conservative idioms, rooted in the Late Gothic of Burlison & Grylls and C.E. Kempe. This talk will consider Comper, the Webbs and others who continued the medieval tradition in relation to the (relatively few) designers who aligned themselves with modernism and sought an abrupt break with the past.

Wilhelm Derix with Andrea McKay Title of lecture: 'Glass as "fine art in architecture": from the second half of the 20th century to the beginning of 21st century (Powerpoint presentation) Wilhelm Derix is Head of Derix Glasstudios, Taunusstein Germany. Wilhelm Derix is the 4th generation of the Derix glass dynasty. Initially studying architecture, he has been in charge of the Studio for the last 38 years having collaborated with more than 400 artists worldwide. Andrea McKay is the International Art Projects Adviser & Coordinator for Derix Glass Studios,Taunsstein, Germany. Dr Donald Buttress LVO OBE D.Litt. MA FSA RIBA Title of lecture: `New wine in old bottles' (or new glass in old windows) (slide presentation) Donald Buttress has been in practice as an architect since 1956. As founder and senior partner of the Manchester-based firm Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams, he has played an important role in architectural conservation and is widely recognized for his outstanding work at a number of British cathedrals, notably his work at Westminster Abbey, which was one of the most significant restorations to be undertaken on the fabric in its 900-year history. He was a member of the Diocesan Advisory Committee in Chester from 1970 to 1987 and in St Albans from 1998 to the present day. He was a member of the Council for the Care of Churches for fifteen years and of the English Heritage Churches and Cathedrals Committee for six. He has been President of the Ecclesiological Society since 1995.He has held teaching appointments at the Universities of Manchester and Florida and has travelled widely throughout Britain, Europe and the US as lecturer and historic buildings consultant. Now semi-retired, Donald is still working on projects such as the national memorial to HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother on the Mall in London and on a new cathedral and town planning project in Canada. His talk is a discussion, illustrated by examples, on the overriding need to respect the setting of a window taking account of geometry, lead patterns, colour, scale and the density of painted detail, in order to achieve an overall textural and tonal balance. In the past William Peckett of York, Betton and Evans of Shrewsbury and the prolific CE Kempe, were able to make tactful alterations and rearrangements, and to add vibrant new material, whilst achieving a harmonious result. Without that skill and care a new window in an old setting can be, and quite often is, a visual disaster! Glaziers' evening lecture: Alexander Beleschenko, self-employedartist Title of lecture: 'Commissions and competitions' (Powerpoint presentation) `I trained as a Fine Artist but devoted my creative energies to working exclusively within the area of Architectural Art Glass for the last twenty-five years. My approach is always ideas led which has resulted in innovative approaches to working with the material that beguiles and entrances me. Large or small scale my efforts are dedicated to creating a work that has meaning and enriches its architectural setting.' The lecture is a thorough insight into the thought processes and practises I have employed when working with glass in architecture. Dr Libby Horner, art historian Title of lecture: 'Frank Brangwyn: stained glass' (Powerpoint presentation) Libby Horner discovered Frank Brangwyn in 2000 and since then the two have become inseparable. Libby is the world's leading authority on the artist. She curated the most comprehensive exhibition ever held of Brangwyn's work (2006, Leeds, Bruges and Swansea); co-edited and contributed two essays to the accompanying publication Frank Brangwyn 1867195 and wrote Frank Brangwyn: A Mission to Decorate Life for The Fine Art Society/Liss Fine Art selling show in Spring 2006 (both books were nominated for the William M B Berger Prize for British Art History, the former in 2007, the latter in 2006). Libby presented and wrote the script for the Brangwyn DVD ART? It's just a job! (2006); lectures about the

artist; started the Brangwyn website www.frankbrangwyn.org and is compiling the Catalogue Raisonné of all Brangwyn's work (both fine and decorative arts). The first catalogue, Frank Brangwyn: Stained Glass will be published as a DVD early 2009. Frank Brangwyn was the quintessential artist-craftsman, but few of those familiar with his work are aware that he produced designs for stained glass throughout his career, starting with six panels commissioned by Siegfried Bing in 1899 and made by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Other works include four windows in an obscure Berkshire church, a war memorial in Northampton, a memorial to a boy suffering from Down's syndrome in Devon, two windows in memory of Lord Iveagh (of Guinness fame) which can be seen in Dublin and Elveden, and a single lancet and five double lancets at St Andrew's Abbey, Zevenkerken, Bruges. The lecture will provide details of the politics which informed the designs and Brangwyn's working methods. Michael Barker Title of lecture: 'A survey of 20th century stained glass in France from the end of the Belle Epoque to Abstraction' The speaker has publidhed articles on aspects of French design in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries including Stained Glass in France in the 1950s and Aspects of the Continuing Arts and Crafts Tradition: Architectural Decoration in France in the 1920s and 1939s. Co-author of The North of France, which particularly featured little-known stained glass in its exploration of the region's art and architecture. This survey will cover the roots of modernism stemming from Samuel Bing's commissions from Nabis artists, the impetus of the Art Sacré movement spurred by Maurice Denis, the considerable output of stained glass in the wake of Great War destruction and the influence of the new Art Deco style in the 1920s, the dynasties of stained-glass makers based at historic centres such as Chartres and their creative collaboration with renowned painters including Matisse, Braque, Léger, Rouault, Chagall and Miro. Second World War destruction led to a huge production of stained glass by various talented artists both figurative and abstract.

BOOKING FORM
ASPECTS OF 20TH CENTURY STAINED GLASS
Please circle one of the price options below and then fill in your contact details. Post to: 20C Conference Bookings, 5 Portsdown Ave, London NW11 0NH.

BSMGP members:* Full conference with supper Full conference without supper Thursday with supper Thursday without supper Friday Non-members: Full conference with supper *** Full conference without supper*** Thursday with supper Thursday without supper Friday

Full rate (£) Student rate (£) 160 95 140 75 100 63 80 43 75 40 Full rate (£) Student rate (£)** 200 110 180 90 120 70 100 50 95 45

Notes Food included except evening meal on Thursday after Glaziers' evening lecture, unless requested when booking. The evening lecture on Thursday is included in the conference fee. * Membership must be up to date at the time of booking for members' prices to apply. Any members wishing to renew membership and book concurrently should choose the non-members' price option below. ** To qualify for the student rate you must demonstrate that you are in at least 10 hours education per week at a recognized institution. You will need to provide details of your college course and tutor in the space provided. ***These prices entitle you to 1 year's membership in The British Society of Master Glass Painters. Please email your contact details to secretary@bsmgp.org.uk if you wish to take this up.

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